September 03, 2022
The queen stage of the Vuelta a España offers another opportunity for some big gains on GC
Vuelta a España 2022, stage 15
Distance: 153 kilometres
Start location: Martos
Finish location: Tomares
Start time: 12.05 BST
Finish time (approx): 16.30 BST
The queen stage of the 2022 Vuelta a España features the race’s only especial category climb, as the peloton heads to the Sierra Nevada for a battle royale before the final rest day. They will gain over 4000m of altitude on a day which promises to separate the best from the rest.
If yesterday’s tests seemed stringent, today’s will stretch the contenders to breaking point, as they contend with the heat of southern Spain alongside the unforgiving slopes of the Sierra Nevada.
Beginning in the town of Martos, just a short distance north and west of yesterday’s stage finish, the peloton have 27km to settle into the day’s racing before the climbing begins, as the route travels back south once more. The Puerto del Castillo is a category three challenge. 6.8km in length, the climb averages 4.5% and is unlikely to pose a significant problem to the bunch, but it could provide a launching pad for determined riders looking to be a part of the day’s early break.
The route does not descend from the summit of the climb but rather follows a series of undulations for around 30km, heading through the stunning town of Alcalá la Real with its historic old town, before the race crosses into the province of Granada. A more significant descent brings the peloton down only to begin slowly rising once again. A long false flat leads the race through the eponymous provincial capital, Granada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. An intermediate sprint marks the end of the easy-going gradients as the route begins to rise into the town of Monachil, which marks the start of the next categorised climb.
With just over 50km left to race and two major climbs to contend with, this marks a point of no return for many, as the cream of the GC crop will likely begin to turn the screws as they attack the slopes of the category one Alto del Purche. It’s a stinker of a climb to have to tackle, knowing what is still to come: 9.1km at 7.6%, the relative brevity of the ascent means the bunch have some killer ramps to contend with, including pitches of up to 17%. There are bonus seconds available at the summit for the polka dot jersey contest.
A steep…