Vuelta 2024 Route stage 12: Ourense

Vuelta 2024 Route stage 12: Ourense - Cabeza de Manzaneda

Thursday 29 Augustus - Stage 12 of La Vuelta is a lumpy race of 133 kilometres from Ourense to the ski station at the Cabeza de Manzaneda. The finish climb is a 22 kilometres long drag at roughly 5%, although several stretches go up at double digits.

Ourense is famous for its hot springs and for promotional reasons the race sets off from one of the most famous spas in town. It’s the twentieth visit of la Vuelta. The last time was in 2020, when Tim Wellens took the stage win from the breakaway.

No finish in Ourense this time. The riders set off in easterly direction for a lumpy day in the saddle. The hills are not tough in thenselves, it’s the sheer repetition of uphill drags that will wear the riders out until the long climb to the line finishes it all off.

Staring in Manzaneda, it’s a 22 kilometres long drag to the ski station at the summit. The avarage gradient sits at 6.4%, while the hardest kilometre goes up at 10.2%. This section appears exactly halfway.

The Estacion de Montaña Manzaneda featured once before on La Vuelta. In 2011 it was David Moncoutié who climbed to victory, more than 1 minute ahead of his breakaway companions Beñat Intxausti and Luis León Sánchez.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint comes with 6, 4 and 4 seconds.