August 24, 2022
A tough stage could see the first big GC shakeup of the race
Vuelta a España 2022, stage six
Distance: 181.2 kilometres
Start location: Bilbao
Finish location: Ascensión al Pico Jano, San Miguel de Aguayo
Start time: 11.20 BST
Finish time (approx): 16.30 BST
33 stages of La Vuelta have departed from Bilbao, making it one of the mainstays of La Vuelta España, and stage 6 sees the 34th , as the peloton bids farewell to the Basque country and heads west into Cantabria. Despite the familiar starting point, this stage sees a number of firsts – this year’s first proper mountain stage, and the first summit finish – on a climb which features for the very first time.
Read more: Vuelta a España 2022 route: everything you need to know
Vuelta a España 2022 stage six map and profile
Heading west from Bilbao, the first 70km of the day are typically Spanish, with plenty of climbing and descending and relatively little flat. The Puerto de Alisas is the first significant challenge of the day. A category 2 climb, it could split the bunch, but the GC group are likely to stay together with over 100km of racing still to unfold. The 8.7km ascent averages 5.8%, with the descent that follows
similar in length. Following this, the flattest 25km of the day will provide some relief as the race completes its journey west, before turning south towards the day’s final destination. The peloton faces two category one climbs in the final 50km, on a day which could be one for a strong climber to steal a breakaway win, if the GC contenders don’t decide to challenge one another.
The first of the big climbs is the Collada de Brenes. This ascent will split the bunch along its 6.8km length, as although it averages an already tricky 8.2%, this median conceals within it two 1km sections of over 10%, and includes pitches of up to 15% in places. The summit offers bonus points for the KOM contenders, so it will be hotly contested.
The descent from the climb is around 13km long and although there is an intermediate sprint in the valley, at Santa Cruz de Iguña, it’s a brief plateau before the climbing begins again in earnest. The final climb is the Pico Jano. It features in the race for the first time, with the last 4km of former dirt road being paved especially for the race. It’s a long, arduous first category test, 12.6km in length
at an overall average of 6.6%, with the first 7.6km a steady…