Iznájar also hosted last year’s 2nd stage on the Ruta del Sol, or Vuelta a Andalucía. It served as a finish though. Gonzalo Serrano attacked on the punchy climb up into the town and held off the peloton to take the best win of is career.
A similar finale is likely to happen in Alcalá la Real, although the steep climb to the Castillo (or Fortaleza) de la Mota is slightly shorter. The ascent to the ruined 13th century fortress is 800 metres long and rises at 10%. Which is an average gradient – the road gets steeper near the finish line.
The route from Iznájar to the castle is far from flat either. After four classified ascents the Alto de la Hortichuela presents the toughest challenge. The 8.3 kilometres at 5.4% could very well turn out to be decisive. The riders reach the summit 9 kilometres before the finish line, while the ensuing downhill coincides with the base of the castle climb.
Ruta del Sol 2021 – stage 2: route, profile, finale
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Route stage 1: Mijas - Zahara de la Sierra - Ruta del Sol 20 Route stage 3: Beas de Segura - Villarodrigo - Ruta del Sol 20 Route stage 4: Baza - Cúllar Vega - Ruta del Sol 20 Route stage 5: Vera – Pulpí - Ruta del Sol 20 More articles Tour de France 2024: The Route
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 1: Florence - Rimini
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 2: Cesenatico - Bologna
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 3: Piacenza - Turin
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 4: Pinerolo - Valloire
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Vulbas
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 7: Nuits-Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 8: Semur-en-Auxois - Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 9: Troyes - Troyes
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 11: Evaux-les-Bains - Le Lioran
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 12: Aurillac - Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 14: Pau - Pla d'Adet
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 15: Loudenvielle - Plateau de Beille
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 16: Gruissan - Nîmes
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 17: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Superdévoluy
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 18: Gap - Barcelonnette
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 19: Embrun - Isola 2000
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 20: Nice - Col de la Couillole
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 21: Monaco - Nice
Giro 2024: The Route
Giro 2024 Route stage 1: Turin - Turin
Giro 2024 Route stage 2: San Fransesco al Campo - Oropa
Giro 2024 Route stage 3: Novara - Fossano
Giro 2024 Route stage 4: Acqui Terme - Andora
Giro 2024 Route stage 5: Genoa - Lucca
Giro 2024 Route stage 6: Viareggio - Rapolano Terme
Giro 2024 Route stage 7: Foligno - Perugia
Giro 2024 Route stage 8: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo
Giro 2024 Route stage 9: Naples - Naples
Cycling Calendar 2024