Stage 15: Martos – Sierra Nevada. Alto Hoya de la Mora. Monachil
Date: Sunday, September 4, 2022
Distance: 153km
Stage timing: 13:05-17:30 CET
Stage type: Mountain
Packing over 4,000m of elevation into just 153km of riding, stage 15 of this year’s Vuelta a España will pack a considerable punch with a jaw-dropping final climb to 2,512m over nearly 30km of continual ascent.
Beginning in Martos, the stage undulates over the first 30km to the Puerto del Castillo 3rd Category climb – offering ripe opportunity for a long-range breakaway group.
From there, 60km of rolling terrain will lead the peloton to the stunning fortress city of Granada, and the 1st Category climb of Alto del Purche, and a chance to make individual attacks ahead of the final climb.
Any attacker will have their work cut out over the next 40km though, as a quick descent precedes the enormous climb to Pico Veleta weather station – which in its entirety comprises the highest continuous paved ascent in Europe. The summit sits 2,805m high in the Sierra Nevada, but the race won’t go that far.
Ambitions of La Vuelta summiting Veleta weren’t to come to fruition, lacking support of the local region, and as a result the race will finish 300m lower at Alto Hoya de la Mora.
The climb lacks the severe inclines of stage 14’s Sierra de La Panera climb, but makes up for it with persistence, with nearly 30km of a constant uphill drag at 6%.
The race last raced here in 2017, when Miguel Angel Lopez took victory on this same climb, albeit finishing lower than this year’s race will.
While a breakaway may have a good chance of taking stage victory, this climb is certain to cause upset amongst the general classification favourites.
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