An arrival at Lagos de Covadonga is unpredictable. Mountain goats and diesels, they all were successful near the infamous lakes.
The 2014 Vuelta a España saw the last finish near Lagos de Covandonga. Early escapee Przemyslaw Niemiec held on for dear life to finish 5 seconds ahead of the best GC-riders, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez.
Stage 10 of the Vuelta leads over rolling roads before two harsh ascents mark the last 50 kilometres. Firstly Alto del Fito (7 kilometres at 7.7%) and after a 20 kilometres intermediate the closing climb up to Lagos de Covadonga looms. The irregular ascent at over 12 kilometres comes with an average gradient at 7.3%, yet in the dying metres of the race the grade balloons to a grueling 17.5%.
Favourites 10th stage Vuelta a España
*** Thomas De Gendt, Joe Dombrowski, Darwin Atapuma, Bart De Clercq
** Alberto Contador, Esteban Chaves, Alejandro Valverde, Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana
* Robert Gesink, Andrew Talansky, Tejay van Garderen, Samuel Sánchez
Vuelta a España 2016 Stage 10: Route maps, height profiles, etc
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Profile 10th stage
Climb details Alto del Mirador del Fito
Climb details Lagos de Covadonga
Final kilometres 10th stage
Streetview Lagos de Covadonga
Climb to Lagos de covadonga at strava.com
Vuelta a España TweetsStreetview Streetview Alto del Mirador del Fito