Vuelta a España: Stage 20
Parcours preview
Distance: 144.1km
Category: High mountains
Highest point: 1,565m
After so many tough uphill finishes, it is hard to believe that the battle for the red jersey will still be close by this point. However, if it is, what a stage this will be to finally decide it. Although this will only be the sixth finish on this infamous summit – which can be seen from the top of the Naranco, some 30km to the north – the Angliru is one of the sport's legendary climbs. The riders will approach it by the short but testing Tenebredo and Cordal passes. Its average of 10 per cent for its 12.5km suggests its difficulty but not the full extent of it. The final 6.5km average of a leg-breaking 13 per cent. It was that section that arguably cost an over-geared Bradley Wiggins the Vuelta title in 2011.
José Azevedo: "The Angliru is one of the most mythical climbs in cycling and it comes on the second to last day, when everyone is tired. If the leader has a bad day he could lose two or three minutes. Nothing will be decided until this stage as anyone within 90 seconds of the lead could still win."
Don't forget to download the Cyclingnews Tour Tracker mobile app for live coverage of the Vuelta!
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014).
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Women's WorldTour – The definitive guide for 2025
Everything you need to know about the top-tier professional racing series, teams, races and world ranking -
Alia Shafi delivers GC victory at Redlands Bicycle Classic with Fount Cycling 'guns a blazing' start to finish
Eder Frayer scores close GC victory for men by 10 seconds over Quinn Felton -
Relegation Watch 2025: XDS Astana's momentum accelerates as Picnic-PostNL, Arkéa-B&B Hotels stall in Spring Classics
XDS Astana on track to surpass Picnic-PostNL, Cofidis -
'The possibilities are endless' - Jakob Söderqvist set to move up to the WorldTour with Lidl-Trek in 2026
'Stepping into the WorldTour team means the start of a new chapter in my sporting career' says Swedish time triallist