La Vuelta 2022 - Stage 20:- Moralzarzal - Puerto de Navacerrada, 181km ***Spoilers***

Stage 20:- Moralzarzal - Puerto de Navacerrada, 181km

Saturday, September 10, 2022
Start time: 12:45

The last mountainous test of the Vuelta is 181 kilometres and includes five intermediate climbs.
Most of the race takes place at an elevation hovering around 1,000 metres above sea level, in the valleys. On five occasions the riders climb to 1,500 and to 1,850 metres. It packs in three category one climbs and two category two ascents as well for good measure, taking the vertical ascent total to 3,843m. Stage 20 concludes on a 10.3 kilometres climb before a false flat run-in to the finish line.



It’s the final day in the mountains before the race reaches a celebratory stage in Madrid. The Sierra’s of Madrid have a history of surprise rewrites of the GC script, from Isidro Nozal’s loss of the Vuelta to Roberto Heras in 2003, to Robert Millar being overwhelmed by the ‘Spanish Armada’ in 1985 and Fabio Aru’s 2015 attack to snatch the lead from Tom Dumoulin on the second last day.



The Climbs.
The Navafria climb is 9.8 kilometres, averages 5.5%, and is followed by the shortest and easiest ascent of the day. The Puerto de Canencia is 7.5 kilometres long and goes up at 4.9%.





The initial ascent of the Puerto de Navacerrada is on another side. The 10.3 kilometres climb at 6.8% peaks out after 34 kilometres of action at an elevation of 1,859 metres.



The Puerto de la Morcuera is a 9.4 kilometres test with an average gradient of 6.9%.



The Puerto de Cotos adds up to 10.3 kilometres of climbing at 6.9%. The riders reach the summit 6.7 kilometres before the finish line.



Final Kms.
That last section is a false flat run-in to the line at the top of today’s first climb, the Puerto de Navacerrada.



What to Expect.

The time for holding anything in reserve is over, the Last Chance saloon is open for business. Could this yet become the stage that defines the 2022 Vuelta? (If not, it's the final GC top 10 sort out at least)

Moralzarzal

Population 13,344
Moralzarzal is a town in Spain. It is located in the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the Community of Madrid. Founded several centuries ago, and having played a significant role while under Muslim rule, Moralzarzal has been experiencing an unstoppable demographic and economic explosion since the 20th century.
The clock located on the Moralzarzal Town Hall tower, one of the locality’s emblems, is affectionately named in honour of the bullfighter Frascuelo, who had close links to the town.



Puerto de Navacerrada

Population 5,285
The Navacerrada Pass is a mountain pass in the Guadarrama Mountains, in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula.
Out of the five times that the Navacerrada mountain pass has been a La Vuelta finish-line, three of these were during stage 20. In 2022, this iconic mountain pass will, again, play this decisive role in a stage featuring several consecutive climbs along the Madrid mountain range, its profile reminiscent of the 20th stage of La Vuelta 15 with a finale in Cercedilla. This historic outcome resulted in the general classification victory of the charismatic Fabio Aru.



Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama: With IGP, race Avileña-Negra Ibérica is a native breed, characterized by the high quality of the meat, which originates in mountain areas in the center of the Iberian Peninsula.



Cochifrito: The name of this sautéed lamb dish actually means "fried little pig". Cochifrito de Cordero dates back over 7 centuries and is inextricably linked to the rich shepherding culture in Spain.




Churros with chocolate. A pure and with tradition in Spain breakfast. In Madrid, the churros of San Gines, in the Plaza Mayor, it has become tradition.










"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.

Comments

  • Very animated on the first climb.
    Carlos Rodriguez already dropped and a minute behind the peloton.
    His injuries are going to see him slip down the top 10.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Peloton shredded already. Could be a fun day
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,547
    Rodriguez back with the other GC contenders.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Must be virtually a full peloton again now.

    Hope that tape doesn’t tangle anyone up!
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    edited September 2022
    If anything significant is going to happen, it going to have to happen in the next 10kms.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Movistar turn up the heat and a lot of riders go out the back including Rodriguez.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Mas attacks
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Kirby making stuff up again.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Kirby still making stuff up for McEwen to disagree with.

    All back together behind.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Somehow Kirby has been far more dismal than normal during this Vuelta
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    edited September 2022
    Future Ineos chasing soon to be ex-Ineos
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    A strange Vuelta for Carapaz - three stage wins and a KOM and yet it feels as though he's a bad a bad race.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Carapaz is some racer. Big loss for Ineos. Part of me thinking it’s a shame he had a bad first week but then he wouldn’t have had these stage chances.

    Remco has proved the doubters, including me, wrong in showing he can last the 3 weeks. Shame we lost the Roglic challenge though.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462
    Did it with very limited team support as well. Not sure he could contend with Vinegaard and Pog yet but hopefully we’ll get to see next season
  • Barring a freak incident tomorrow he'll officially be the latest rider to win both a Monument and Grand Tour in the same season.

    How much will he have left for the Worlds ITT?
  • RichN95. said:

    A strange Vuelta for Carapaz - three stage wins and a KOM and yet it feels as though he's a bad a bad race.

    Maybe so, but I think he'll feel a lot better in Madrid than he did in Verona given how differently the Giro/Vuelta worked out for him.
  • And so this Vuelta ends with the expected whimper, rather than the hoped for bang.
    All to the grating tones of Hans Christian Kirby.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Classy win by carapaz .. deserves the jersey..... Hard race
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited September 2022

    RichN95. said:

    A strange Vuelta for Carapaz - three stage wins and a KOM and yet it feels as though he's a bad a bad race.

    Maybe so, but I think he'll feel a lot better in Madrid than he did in Verona given how differently the Giro/Vuelta worked out for him.
    First week he was off his game lost buckets of time
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Remco hey .....well I was a skeptic
    .. matured a lot since that giro bid
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • WorldTour-association aside, two of the GC podium will be U23s - including a teenager - unless López pulls off a convention-breaking miracle tomorrow. That must be another first in Vuelta (if not Grand Tour) history.
  • notquite6foot
    notquite6foot Posts: 248
    edited September 2022
    In stage 4 of the women's Vuelta, Anna Kiesenhofer is 8:50 ahead of the peloton with a lumpy 50km to go (PCS live stats). For this race only she is part of Soltec Team.
  • WorldTour-association aside, two of the GC podium will be U23s - including a teenager - unless López pulls off a convention-breaking miracle tomorrow. That must be another first in Vuelta (if not Grand Tour) history.

    Two under 23 has happened at the tour in 1903, 1904, 1908 and 1909. Never in the Giro or Vuelta, I don't think.

    Youngest aggregate podium since at least the 1931 Giro, and youngest ever in the Vuelta. (I think.)
  • Thanks, that's good to know.
  • 1904 Tour would be the only previous time a teenager and another under 23 have podiumed. Bit of a different race back then with the final stage to Paris being 471km, and the original top 4 being disqualified for taking trains, among other things. The declared winner, Cornet was aged 19, and only received a warning for getting a lift in a car.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    Five of the top seven qualify for the young rider jersey!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,462

    In stage 4 of the women's Vuelta, Anna Kiesenhofer is 8:50 ahead of the peloton with a lumpy 50km to go (PCS live stats). For this race only she is part of Soltec Team.

    You’d think they’d know better than to let her get a big lead!
  • Fortunately for them she was caught in the final 2km.

    Silvia Persico won the stage and AvV still leads the GC by 1:51.