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 Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Route ITT (m/w)
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Start list + times ITT – men
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Start list + times ITT – women
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Route road race – men
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Riders road race – men
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Route road race – women
Summer Olympics 2024 Paris: Riders road race – women
Clásica de San Sebastián 2024: The Route
Tour de France Femmes 2024: The Route
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 1: Rotterdam - The Hague
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 2: Dordrecht - Rotterdam
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 3: Rotterdam ITT
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 4: Valkenburg - Liège
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 5: Bastogne - Amnéville
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 6: Remiremont - Morteau
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 7: Champagnole - Grand-Bornand
Tour de France Femmes 2024 Route stage 8: Grand-Bornand - Alpe d'Huez
Vuelta 2024: The Route
Vuelta 2024: Riders
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 1: Lisbon - Oeiras
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 2: Cascais - Ourém
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 3: Lousã - Castelo Branco
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 4: Plasencia - Pico Pitolero
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 5: Fuente del Maestre - Seville
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 6: Jerez de la Frontera - Yunquera
Vuelta 2024 Route stage 7: Archidona – Córdoba
Cycling Calendar 2024
Tour de France 2024: Withdrawals