Stage 9: Orihuela. Ciudad del Poeta Miguel Hernández - Cumbre del Sol. El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, 174km
This stage is essentially the Vuelta's winter training camp preview of the Costa Blanca. The road is seaside promenade flat apart from the Alto de Puig Llorença, hit twice, at 134km and then in the finale when the race carries on to the line at Cumbre del Sol, with sections up to 20 per cent. Tom Dumoulin won here in 2015, over Chris Froome.
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UCI, Alpecin-Deceuninck to pursue bidon thrower 'so that such behaviour is severely punished'
Mathieu van der Poel's team: 'misbehaviour of a few individuals can have far-reaching consequences' -
'Without you, I would probably have stopped my career' – Remco Evenepoel thanks wife Oumi in emotional post ahead of return from 'dark period'
Olympic champion primed for first race since October at Friday's Brabantse Pijl after 'the hardest battle of my life so far' -
What's next for Paris-Roubaix's protagonists? – Van der Poel ends Classics campaign as Pogačar heads to favoured terrain in the Ardennes
Dutchman and world champion not set to face off again until Tour de France in July after historic trio of one-day duels -
Sigrid Haugset finished Paris-Roubaix with fractured hip after crash with 60km to go
'When you’re in a race, you want to finish' says Norwegian after riding 59km, including 18km of cobbles, with injury
