Vuelta a Burgos 2020 Route stage 5: Covarrubias - Lagunas de Neila
The glacial lakes are located at an altitude of 1,873 metres. The average gradient of the 11.8 kilometres ascent is 5.6%, while the hardest part is saved for last. The ultimate 3 kilometres go up at, respectively, 9.6%, 8.2% and 11%.
The route to Las Lagunas de Neila is far from flat, but it only gets steep in the final phase of the race. The intermediate climbs up the Alto del Cerro and the Alto del Collado de Vilviestre are by no means hard ascents. With gradients hovering around 2% it is safe to say that these are merely false flat sections.
The course resembles the final stage of the 2018 Vuelta a Burgos, when Iván Sosa and Miguel Ángel López battled it out on the Lagunas de Neila ascent. With an acceleration in the last kilometre Sosa dropped his compatriot to solo to the day honours and the GC triumph.
Last year, Sosa also soloed to victory - GC and stage - on the Las Lagunas de Neila ascent. Rui Costa crossed the line in second place, while Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier won the sprint for third place ahead of Richard Carapaz, Guillaume Martin and Óscar Rodríguez.
Another interesting read: results 5th stage 2020 Vuelta a Burgos.
