Preview: What you need to know about stage 12 of the Vuelta a España
Preview: What you need to know about stage 12 of the Vuelta a España
Date: Thursday August 26
Start: Jaén
Finish: Córdoba
Distance: 175 km
The first two thirds of the stage are relatively easy, but the final third is not. From 62 km to go, there are two climbs virtually back to back. The Alto de San Jerónimo is 13 km at 3.3% and peaks at 49 km to go, and then there’s the “Alto del 14%” – 7.2 km at 5.6% which tops out at 19 km to go. From there, it’s downhill and then flat to the line.
Who’s it for: Escartín predicts this stage will end in a sprint finish. That’s certainly a possibility (albeit from a reduced bunch). Don’t be surprised if this is a day for the breakaway though.
Dane Cash’s picks: This feels like a really good opportunity for the more versatile fast finishers to get a win. BikeExchange should work hard for Michael Matthews, who looks like the top favorite for the stage. Andrea Bagioli, Matteo Trentin, and Andreas Kron are other picks, while Magnus Cort is a bit of a wildcard. The profile suits him, but he did just put in a lot of effort on stage 11.
