With 139 kilometers on the menu, stage 19 will be the shortest road stage of the Vuelta a Espana until now, a tricky day which can be to the liking of many riders and promises exciting racing. The day will revolve around a loop close to the city of Talavera de la Reina which will host the finale of the stage.
After 12 kilometers of racing the riders will face the ascent to Puerto del Piélago. A 19-kilometer climb in total, however split into three different sections, each with an average of around 6%. There will be two small descent sections in the ascent, but the last 9.8 kilometers average 5.9% and will be the place to make the decisive splits. The climb will first summit with 108 kilometers to go, and then with 42 in it’s final passage. It allows for big gaps, aswell as tactical play between the GC riders.
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The descent that follows features some little hilltops, however is mostly a fast and non-technical descent, which will take the riders down to the finish quickly. The last 15 kilometers of the stage will be flat, giving the opportunity for the race to stabilize before reaching the finale.
CyclingUpToDate prediction:
**** Mads Pedersen
*** Fred Wright, Richard Carapaz
** Marc Soler, Jesús Herrada, Luis León Sánchez
* Mark Padun, Alexey Lutsenko, Daryl Impey, Mike Teunissen