Picturesque climb expected to close out second week
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The Lagos de Covadonga in all its glory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) claims the stage 15 win atop Lagos de Covadonga (Image credit: AFP)
Nairo Quintana rides to the win during stage 10 at the Vuelta a Espana.
Frank Schleck at the top of Lagos de Covadonga(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Stéphane Goubert (Ag2r) leads Sorensen on the Lagos de Covadonga climb in the 2007 Vuelta(Image credit: Sirotti)
Lagos de Covadonga will again host a mountain finish in the second week of next year's Vuelta a Espana according to reports in the local Asturian press. La Nueva España suggests that the Spanish Grand Tour will visit the picturesque spot in the Picos de Europa for the final stage of the second week on September 9.
A ride to the lakes has been rumoured for some months and the tarmac on the climb is currently being resurfaced by the local authorities. The September 9 finish would coincide with the Dia de Asturias, which takes place the day before, and several anniversaries, including the 100-year anniversary of the national park that encompasses the lakes.
Lagos de Covadonga has been a regular feature throughout the history of the Vuelta a Espana and has hosted a stage finish on no less than 20 occasions. 1983 was the first visit for the Grand Tour, with Marino Lejarreta winning the stage. Nairo Quintana won at Lagos de Covadonga when the race last went to the area in 2016, en route to his overall victory.
The road up to the lakes is 12.6 kilometres long and averages 7.3 per cent, with sections that reach as much as 15 per cent.
Les Praeres de Nava is another Asturian climb that has been put forward as a potential summit finish as part of a tough stretch in the Asturian mountains. Other summit finishes have been rumoured, including Camino del Rey, Monte Oiz in the Basque Country and a trip to Andorra.
The full 2018 Vuelta a Espana route will be presented in January.
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