PREVIEW | Vuelta a Andalucia 2023 - Tadej Pogacar has first big test of the season - Mikel Landa, Enric Mas and Tao Geoghegan Hart the main competition

From February 15th to 19th, 2023, the peloton will converge in Spain for one of the most prestigious early-season stage races, the Vuelta a Andalucia. Known as the Ruta del Sol, this race takes place in the southern region of Spain, often blessed with favorable weather even in mid-February. Each year, top cyclists from around the world participate in this event.

The opening day of the race will have 4000 meters of climbing in what is a true high mountain stage, in true Spanish form with the ascents ranging from start to finish. The 179 kilometers will feature three 1st category climbs, having 8.1Km at 6.9, 16.5Km at 4.5% and 10.6Km at 5.8%. The latter of those summits with only 8 kilometers to go and will see a descent followed by a sharp drag to the line inside the village of Antiao de la Espada.

Stage two of the Andalusian race will be a day the riders won't quickly forget, one made for the pure puncheurs. It's a day that features two extremely steep climbs, the last combining with the finish. The riders will have 2.1 kilometers at 13.1% in the middle of climb that ends with just over 20 kilometers to go, and the finale in Alcalá La Real has 800 meters at 13%, narrow and with cobbles in the mix, it's a brutal burning effort all the way into the line.

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Stage three is perhaps the most simple of the race, but it's by no means an easy day. It's another day for the pure puncheurs who want to test their form, it's a rather flat day into Alcalá de los Gazules - the third village finish of the race. There will be an extremely fast run-up to the hilltop finish which has 1.2 kilometers at 10.7% where gaps will appear once again in a technical finale that features gruesome gradients. Stage 4 into Iznájar sees a finale that was used last year, but in a day that will be quite dangerous. Andalucia is known for it's mountains and hills and this will be another day such as that, with as many as six meaningful but small ascents - the hardest of which being 3.5Km at 8.3% - all taking place before the sharp finale which features 1.3 kilometers at 7.2%.

The final day of racing into Alhaurín de la Torre is a very mixed one, where the finale coincides with a small hilltop finish as usual, with gradients of 5% inside the final kilometer. That won't be a big issue however, but the climbers will once again find hard challenges on the final day of the race in the form of both long and steep ascents.

*** Tadej Pogacar
** Tao Geoghegan Hart, Mikel Landa, Ruben Guerreiro
* Enric Mas, Carlos Rodríguez, Santiago Buitrago, Jack Haig, Pierre Latour, Michael Woods

Pick: Tadej Pogacar