The route goes either up or down during the entire race. The endless series of climbs features five classified ascents.
The route climbs from the start, but the first KOM points are available on the Paresi. This is a 9 kilometres climb at 3.4%. The top appears after 27.1 kilometres of action.
The riders descend onto the easiest part of the route. On rolling roads they head for Natxitua. Moments later the Bedarona appears, a short and sharp – 2.1 kilometres at 7.1% – hill in the municipality of Ea, just a stone’s throw from the Bay of Biskaje.
The route follows the coast for awhile until the riders turn right to penetrate the interior. A false flat becomes steep and steeper until the last 2.6 kilometres go up at 6.5% – the Gontzagaraigana.
The descent leads to the foot of the Trabakua, which is a 3.3 kilometres climb at 7.1%. The following ascent – not classified – already moves through Mallabia. But there are still 50 kilometres to go.
After another unclassified ascent – to Garai – the finale comes in sight when the riders hit the Karabieta. This is a 6.7 kilometres climb with an average gradient of 5.6%. But that statistic is biased, as it is partly flat. The first half goes up at roughly 9%.
The Karabieta is a perfect overture for the grande finale. The route descends to Eibar and continues on a false flat to Mallabia. Nothing to worry about – or, so it seems. The profile changes dramatically in the last few hundred metres. The finishing ramp goes up at double digits and peaks out at 16%.
The first three riders on the line gain times bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while both intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 5.
Another interesting read: results 5th stage 2022 Tour of the Basque Country.
Tour of the Basque Country 2022 stage 5: route, profile, more
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