Joaquin Rodriguez leads his Caisse d'Epargne captain Alejandro Valverde on the slopes of the Xorret del Cati (Image credit: Sirotti)
While the official 2010 Vuelta a España is yet to be announced, the Spanish cycling community is already hyped about the possible inclusion of the Bola del Mundo climb as a summit finish in the race's next edition. The climb located just north of Madrid, albeit only 2.6 kilometres long, is particularly steep and would come after the ascent of the Navacerrada (11 or 18 kilometres depending from which side it is raced).
The Bola del Mundo's average gradient is 12 percent, with ramps up to 23 percent. Its summit is located 2,265 metres above sea level.
After riding up the mountain, Cervélo rider José Ángel Gómez Marchante compared the climb to the Xorret de Catí climb, the finish of this year's Vuelta stage 9. He said that it was also similar to the Angliru, another famous Vuelta mountaintop finish.
"A finish here could be spectacular," he told AS. "The Angliru has ramps that do a lot of damage. Ramps like these are at the limit of reason. There are almost no attacks, only cyclists trying to hold on. This climb [Bola del Mundo], even though it is very hard, has short moments of recovery, so it could come to more attacks and spectacle."
The Spaniard would recommend a 39x27 gear to tackle the climb.
"I think it could be a great finish," he continued. "The view is spectacular. The crowd will be huge, and victory on a new climb would be full of prestige."
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