Tour of Valencia 2023 Route stage 1: Orihuela - Altea

Wednesday 1 February - At 190 kilometres, the 1st stage of the Tour of Valencia travels from Orihuela to Altea. The first half is flat and then the riders enter two climbs before the last 35 kilometres go mainly downhill.

After the flat first phase the route continues at shallow gradients to La Nucia. It's basically a warm-up for the Col de Rates, which is 14.8 kilometres climb at 4.1%. One could argue the Rates is itself a warm-up climb for the last ascent of the day, the Alto de Bernia with its summit approximately 35 kilometres before the finish in Altea.

The Alto de Bernia is 8.5 kilometres lon and the average gradient sits at 4.3%. The descent also features some flat sections, while a false flat section could serve as a launch pad inside the last 10 kilometres.

Altea lies on the Mediterranean Coast between the cities of Alicante and Valencia.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint (MV in underneath profile) comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 1 Tour of Valencia 2023.

Another interesting read: results 1st stage 2023 Tour of Valencia.