Orio had a prominent appearance in 2010. In the penultimate stage of the Tour of the Basque Country the renowned Wall of Aia shook up the finale of a stage leading from Eibar to Orio. Joaquim Rodriguez jumped clear in the drop and powered to the stage victory, while Chris Horner did win the Orio-Aia-Oio ITT on the last day, which brought him the overall win.
The first climb in stage 4 of the 2016 Tour of the Basque Country is the Jaizkibel. Known from the Clásica San Sebastián this 8 kilometres climb offers a 5.6% grade, yet the first 3 kilometres are much steeper than that. At the top the riders are 30 kilometres into the race, so the Jaizkibel is merely a start.
Via de Alto de Arkale, also famous from the Clásica, and a long rolling section the riders arrive after 100 kilometres in Aia, where the steep flanks leading into town are climbed from all sides. Obviously the infamous Wall of Muro de Aia I in the road book again. The 1.36 kilometres monster comes maximum gradients per hundred metres of up to 25%, while the riders have to reckon with stunning average grades at 15%.
Last year, the Wall was on the menu twice. Mikel Landa did win stage 5 with a finish atop, while the ITT on stage 6 was won by Tom Dumoulin.
Now the finish is in Orio, 13 kilometres down the road. Most of it is downhill, but in the deep finale a short uphill section stirs up the descent and then the arrival is slightly downhill again
Race results/race report stage 4, 2016 Tour of the Basque Country.
Tour of the Basque Country 2016 stage 4: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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