The riders venture into the hills southwest of Bilbao. The start is in Zalla and the finish in Sestao, which is a Bilbao suburb. During the day the riders are within a radius of 30 kilometres from the most important city of the Basque Country.
The route takes in several hilly loops. Three climbs stand out – to San Cosme, to Bezi and La Asturiana. The latter ascend is expected to be crucial. It is 7.6 kilometres long and the average gradient sits at 6.2%, while the first half is extremely steep.
La Asturiana peaks 14 kilometres from the uphill finish. The riders fly down a descend and after 2 kilometres on the flat they enter a short and sharp finish climb.
The first three riders on the line gain times bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints – at kilometre 56.5 and 115.5 – come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Another interesting read: results 2nd stage 2021 Tour of the Basque Country.
Tour of the Basque Country 2021 stage 2: route, profile, more
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