The riders clip into their pedals in Ubrique, a place 100 kilometres straight above Gibraltar. The riders go eastward for most of the day, crossing three passes in doing so. The last peak, Puerto de la Parrilla, is crested 12 kilometres before the line in Iznájar. But the climbing is not over, yet.
After coming down the Parrilla the route goes back up again in the last 1.3 kilometres. The first few hundred metres ar partcularly steep, while the gradients level out in the village of Iznájar.
Two years ago, Ruta del Sol served the same finale. Gonzalo Serrano attacked just before the flamme rouge and held off the chasers. Juan José Lobato and Dylan Teuns finished 2 seconds later, the rest of the peloton crossed the line another 2 seconds further behind.
The elevaton gain in the race from Ubrique to Iznájar adds up to almost 3,500 metres.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 1.
Another interesting read: results 1st stage 2022 Ruta del Sol.
Ruta del Sol 2022 – stage 1: route, profile, more
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