Originally, Vallter was scheduled as a finish for the 2018 Volta a Catalunya, but due to harsh weather in the north of Spain the race was shortened at the eleventh hour in favour of a false flat arrival in Camprodon. Thomas De Gendt soloed to victory ahead of Simon Yates and Thibaut Pinot, while the most recent winners in Vallter 2000 are Tejay van Garderen (2014) and Nairo Quintana (2013).
The 2019 race to Vallter opens on rolling roads. At 3.5 kilometres and with shallow gradients, the Alt de la Ganga serves as a perfect place to stretch the legs before the route continues to the Alt de Oix. The 7.7 kilometres climb appears after 120 kilometres. The average gradient is 5.2%, but this is a biased statistic as the road levels out before the summit.
The end of the descent coincides with the start of the penultimate climb, Alt de Rocabruna: 7.3 kilometres at 5.8%. No downhill after its crest, as the route continues false flat to the first uphill stretches of the closing climb. Basically, this is a pepped up false flat, which slopes at 3% for 9 kilometres.
The final haul up to Vallter 2000 amounts to 11.2 kilometres and the average gradient is 7.6%. The steepest ramps are 14%.
The first three riders on the line win time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 65 and at kilometre 159) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds each.
Another interesting read: race results 3rd stage 2019 Volta a Catalunya.
Volta a Catalunya 2019 stage 3: route, profile, more
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