Vuelta 2020 Route stage 10: Castro Urdiales

Vuelta 2020 Route stage 10: Castro Urdiales – Suances

Friday 30 October - At 185 kilometres, stage 10 on La Vuelta travels on flat to bumpy roads close to the Bay of Biscay. The race runs from Castro Urdiales to Suances.

It has been a long time since La Vuelta last visited Castro Urdiales. In 1958, the race started in the town on the Bay of Biscay and traveled to Santander, where Frenchman Jean Graczyk took the spoils.

The route traverses the Cantabrian coast in westerly direction. At kilometre 117, the riders move through Torrelavega, which lies 10 kilometres south of Suances. Yet, the route continues a little further east to tackle the only KOM climb of the day. The Alto de San Cipriano is 5.5 kilometres long and the average gradient sits at 4.4%.

Still 60 kilometres to go at the crest of the Alto de San Cipriano. The route once again runs along the coast. Despite being far from flat, strong sprinters should be able to hold on. The last 2 kilometres feature 1.5 kilometre at 5% before the home straight is level.

Paolo Bettini is the last stage winner in Suances. In 2008, he outgunned Davide Rebellin and Damiano Cunego.

The intermediate sprint – at kilometre 135.5 – comes with time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds, while the first three riders on the line gain 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

Other interesting reads:
– results 10th stage 2020 Vuelta a España
– KOM classification
– points classification