Stage 9: Calpe — Alcoy
What is it? Mountainous!
Got Climbs? Seven, count 'em seven, categorized climbs.
Red Jersey Battle: Definitely.
Ideal Rider: Why a climber, of course. How about Ezekiel Mosquera? He's been waiting all season for this Vuelta, no time like the present to make something happen.
@Gavia: This stage has a silly amount of climbing. The profile made my eyes cross.
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It's another day in the mountains for the Vuelta a España and this is the final stage before the first rest day. The stage departs from Calpe on the Costa Blan ca, and the first 40 kilometers are mostly flat as the stage runs along the beaches of the Mediterranean. At Dénia the Vuelta turns toward the interior and the climbing begins. The Vuelta races into Alicante now, and the stage finishes in Alcoy in the shadow of the Sierra de Mariola. The category 2 Coll de Rates summits at kilometer 66, and there follows a brief respite before the climbs stack up one after another until the finish. In the final 80 kilometers of racing, there are 42 kilometers of categorized climbs. And just to make sure that everyone understands that this stage is for the climbers, the final kilometer tilts uphill to the line. Viva la Vuelta!
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