Vuelta 2025 Route stage 9: Alfaro – Valdezcaray

There’s a first time for everything: Alfaro never hosted La Vuelta before. It has, however, seen the finish of a stage in the local Rioja Tour once – in 1992, when Melchor Mauri claimed victory.

The stage itself offers little of note. It’s ‘Spanish flat’, meaning the route undulates without featuring any significant climbs. Only in the final 13.8 kilometres do the riders truly have to get moving, as the climb to the Valdezcaray ski resort begins just after Ezcaray. The gradient averages 5.2%, with the first half being the steepest.

It’s the fifth time that Valdezcaray hosts a Vuelta stage finish. Previous winners include Simon Clarke (2012), Fabio Parra (1991), Jean-François Bernard (1990), Pedro Delgado (1989), and Sean Kelly (1988). In the years 1989–1991, the mountain was part of a short individual time trial.

While mountain points are only available on the final climb, the stage still racks up a significant amount of elevation gain: over 3,200 metres.

Vuelta a España 2025 stage 9: route, profile, videos

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