"A gradient of almost 10 percent" - Alberto Contador on 2025 La Vuelta's first summit finish

The Vuelta a España 2025 has a very mountainous profile and it's first summit finish comes immediately on stage 2. Today in Limone the riders will tackle a 10-kilometer long final climb where we can see some differences and the GC riders being tested. Alberto Contador has shared his opinion on the matter.

The day starts in Alba and ends in the second pass Limone Piemonte. Alberto Contador, Eurosport analyst, explained the characteristics of the final pass and what it can mean for the race:

"It's the second stage of the Vuelta a España and the first test for the men in the general classification. It's not a very demanding stage, not very long, 159 kilometers, but with a second-category climb and very early in the race, which can cause a rider to choke at some point."

"Surely there will be breakaway attempts, but I think the speed of the race will be very high and it will be the men in the general classification who will play for it". It's a day for the climbers, but in such a finale you can't count out in-form puncheurs such as Tom Pidcock or INEOS' Victor Langellotti, as this will be a very explosive effort towards the finale and likely to end in a sprint between a few.

Alberto Contador continued to analyze in more depth Limone Piemonte, part of the climb to the Colle di Tenda, that was last climbed in the 2002 Giro d'Italia and ended with a victory for Stefano Garzelli:

"Although it's not a very hard climb, it comes at a complicated moment, in the second stage of the Vuelta a España. It's 10 kilometers at approximately 5% average gradient, but be careful, because the final part is a bit tougher. We're talking about a kilometer, especially the final kilometer, with a gradient of almost 10 percent, and that can be difficult for a rider who doesn't climb well".

He concluded by making it clear that this is not a hard climb that will generate big differences, but given that the Vuelta a España 2025 has just begun, he is sure that some of the favorites who may arrive a little short of form will lose a few seconds:

"I'm sure that the rider who wants to try or take a few seconds will take advantage of the final stretch, which is where the difference can be made. I don't think there will be any rider who will lose a lot of time, but some will lose a little bit of time".