Following the start in Granada it’s clear what kind of day this is going to be. Not a flat metre a sight. No inhumanly steep ramps though, so chances are the race will come down to a bunch sprint.
With 38 kilometres done the riders move through Lanjarón, a spa-town in the Alpujarras. Yearly, on the 23rd of June, a huge water fight rages here for one hour. Starting at midnight until 1 am, the streets are packed with people and their buckets and water pistols.
The riders could use some of these refreshments underway, as they are still racing Andalusia, the southernmost province of Spain. Riding on the flanks of the Sierra Nevada, they head for the toughest climb of the day on Alto El Marchal. Yet, the Marchal is definitely not the hardest climb of Spain as it is 14.9 kilometres and averaging merely 3.8%. A 19 kilometres drop leads to the last 8 kilometres on the flat.
Roquetas de Mar was the arrival place of the last editions of the Clásica Almería. In 2017, Magnus Cort sprinted to victory, while Caleb Ewan bested Danny van Poppel last February.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint (at kilometre 117.5) comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Read also: results/race report 5th stage 2018 Vuelta a España.
Vuelta a España 2018 stage 5: Route map, height profile, and more
Click on the images to zoom
Related articles Riders - Vuelta 20 Withdrawals - Vuelta 20 Route and stages - Vuelta 20 GC Favourites - Vuelta 20 More articles Tour de France 2023: The Route
Tour de France 2023: Riders
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 1: Bilbao - Bilbao
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz - San Sebastián
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 6: Tarbes - Cauterets
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 13: Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne - Grand Colombier
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 14: Annemasse - Morzine
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 15: Les Gets - Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc
Tour de France 2023 Route stage 20: Belfort - Le Markstein
Cycling Calendar 2023
Ruta del Sol 2023: The Route
Ruta del Sol 2023: Riders
Ruta del Sol 2023 Route stage 1: Puente de Génave – Santiago de la Espada
Ruta del Sol 2023 Route stage 2: Diezma - Alcalá la Real
Ruta del Sol 2023 Route stage 3: Alcalá de Guadaira - Alcalá de los Gazules
Ruta del Sol 2023 Route stage 4: Olvera - Iznájar
Ruta del Sol 2023 Route stage 5: Otura - Alhaurín de la Torre
Vuelta 2023: The Route
UAE Tour 2023: The Route
UAE Tour 2023: Riders
UAE Tour 2023 Route stage 1: Al Dhafra Castle - Al Mirfa
UAE Tour 2023 Route stage 2: Khalifa Port – TTT
Giro 2023: The Route
Giro 2023: Riders
Giro 2023 Route stage 1: Fossacesia - Ortona
Giro 2023 Route stage 2: Teramo - San Salvo
Giro 2023 Route stage 4: Venosa - Lago Laceno
Giro 2023 Route stage 7: Capua - Gran Sasso