Vitoria-Gasteiz is a regular host of the Itzulia Basque Country. Year in year out, a stage starts in one of the greenest cities in Spain, while La Vuelta drops by every now and then also. Last year, the 2nd stage of the Tour de France even started in the town that’s reknown for its love for cycling.
Following some minor uphills in the first 20 kilometres the route continues on virtually flat terrain to the Alto de Rivas de Tereso, which is a climb of a little over 10 kilometres and an average gradient of 4.1%. The downhill leads to a slighly more rolling section of 25 kilometres before the Puerto Herrera throws in 5.4 kilometres at 8.7%.
There are 45 kilometres remaining at the summit of the Puerto Herrera and most of it is played out on lumpy terrain. The rider enter the Parque natural de Izki with roughly 15 kilometres remaining. The first 6 of which run rolling uphill at moderate gradients. Then the road gets very narrow – essentially a bike lane – before a downhill leads to Corres. That’s where a 2 kilometres climb at 5% begins, while the last 4 kilometres of the race fly downhill to Maeztu on the northern edge of the Natural Park.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 second. The intermediate sprint comes with 6, 4 and 4 seconds.
Vuelta a España 2024 stage 18: profile & more
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