Eight summit finishes promise to be the salt and pepper next year at the race, which will kick off from the Netherlands, visit Portugal and conclude in Madrid.
In 2020, the Spanish Grand Tour celebrates its 75th edition, which is set to start from the Netherlands, with the city of Utrecht playing host to a 23.3km-long team time trial, followed by two pancake-flat stages. The always charming Basque Country, with one of its most famous climbs – Santuario de Arrate – is expected to shake up the general classification on Tuesday, although the first real test for the red jersey contenders won’t come until stage 6, when the race tackles Laguna Negra de Vinuesa, whose 14% slopes make their debut at La Vuelta.
Unlike other editions, the queen stage will feature quite early this time, on the second weekend, which will see the legendary Col du Tourmalet – a stage finish on just three occasions at the Tour de France – play a crucial role. More mountains are packed on the second week, but the main attraction will be the daunting Alto de l’Angliru (12.5 kilometers, 10.3%), which is making its return after three years.
The peloton will then move to the west for the final third of the race, for several days in Galicia, where a 33.5km individual time trial finishing atop Mirador de Ezaro will shake up the overall standings. The week, featuring also a flat finish in Porto, should be a sprinters’ paradise, with only the up-and-down stage to Alto de la Covatilla serving as the real (and last difficulty) in the way of those vying for glory.
Vuelta a España has always been a happy hunting ground for Deceuninck – Quick-Step, our team being one of the key protagonists on a constant basis and racking up a total of 31 stage victories (five of which came at the most recent edition) thanks to 18 different riders.
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