August 31, Stage 10: Valencia - Castellon 146.6 km

This is another tricky stage with a rather lumpy aspect. With a rest day and a longish transfer to come, the GC riders should be content to let a break go and have the sprinters’ teams chase it down.

There’s a complication for the latter in the shape of the second-category Alto del Desierto de las Palmas, which comes late in the stage. Averaging five per cent over 8km, it featured on the circuit used for the 2011 Spanish Road Race Championship won by JJ Rojas. Very much in the chasers’ favour, though, are the 20km of pan-flat road that follow it and run all the way into the finish.

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