Following the start in Sevilla the riders head south on flat to gently rolling roads. In the second half of the stage the roads take a different shape. When the course enters the province of Cádiz the route gets more hilly to reach its zenith in the Sierra de Grazalema with the climb up the Puerto de las Palomas. The ascent of 15.7 kilometres at 5.4% was included in the Vuelta a España in 1986, 1990 and 2002.
Following a short drop and an 1 kilometre climb the route descends further to the valley. The last 60 kilometres are played out on rolling terrain.
Some 18 kilometres before the line the road goes up at 3% for approximately 4 kilometres before a rolling descent runs to the foot of the climb to Alcalá de los Gazules, a town that’s located some 50 kilometres north of Gibraltar. The final haul amounts to less then 2 kilometres but is spiced by stretches of pavé and ramps of up to 18%.
Read also: results/race report 4th stage 2018 Ruta del Sol.
Ruta del Sol 2018 stage 4: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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