La Vuelta 2023: Stage 16:- Liencres Playa - Bejes, 120km ***Spoilers***

Stage 16:- Liencres Playa - Bejes, 120km

September 12
Start Time: 13-40BST.

The third week of racing starts off with a short but furious stage, in northern Spain, which is just 120.1 kilometres long and takes in an elevation gain of over 2,000 metres, much of which is a 5km sting in the tail. Both Liencres Playa and Bejes never before hosted a stage on La Vuelta.



Starting venue Liencres is situated west of Santander, close to the Cantabrian Sea. The route in the first 100 kilometres never strays far from the Cantabrian coast. The riders turn inland just after entering Asturias, where lumpy roads lead the way to a promising finale. The final category 2 climb to the finish line starts at the steep gorge of La Hermida, which at 21 kilometres is the longest in the Iberian Peninsula.



The Climb.

The ascent to Bejes begins with a short steep ramp before a false flat of around one kilometre that could provide time to recover before the final 1.8 kilometres with a maximum gradient of 15%. The road goes up at 8.8% on average.



Final Kms.

The fourth kilometre is excruciating (11.5%) and the final 800 metres rises at 9.4% to the line.





What to Expect.

Another Evenepoel excursion? Probably a minor GC skirmish on the climbs final ramp. Jumbo will decide whether or not a member of the break can take those bonus seconds.

Liencres Playa

Unprecedented Vuelta departure
26,035 inhabitants.

Among the nooks and crannies of the rugged Cantabrian coastline sits Liencres, featuring several very beautiful beaches with impressive rocky cliffs. Its natural wealth is concentrated mainly within the Dunas de Liencres Natural Park, which extends from the Punta del Águila, to the West in Miengo, to the Canal de Hoz, in the East. The Pas Estuary, next to the dunes, offers a spectacular natural landscape that invites visitors to enjoy its coastline.



Rabas

Rabas or fried squid is the quintessential seafood tapa of the Cantabrian coast. Made with sliced squid strips or rings that are lightly battered or breaded before they are fried to crispy perfection, this dish is best savored when lightly seasoned with salt and with an optional drizzle of fresh lemon juice.



Cocido lebaniego

Cocido lebaniego is a traditional Spanish dish originating from the Liébana area in Cantabria. The stew consists of local chickpeas, potatoes, and cabbage with meat from the pig slaughter such as chorizo, bacon, and morcilla. Breadcrumbs, parsley, and cecina dried meat is often added to the stew as well.



Bejes

Unprecedented Vuelta finish
1,299 inhabitants.

In recent years, the Region of Liébana has made its mark in the history of La Vuelta. Fuente Dé, with Alberto Contador’s historic sprint that completely overturned the general classification in 2012, is now part of the race’s most memorable stages. In 2023, the peloton will return to this area filled with natural wealth in order to discover the town of Bejes, that contains the Interpretation Centre for one of the area’s most emblematic gastronomic delights: “picón” blue cheese.



Picón Bejes-Tresviso is a blue cheese made with cow's, sheep's and goat's milk, produced in Cantabria, in the north of Spain. It is made by loosely placing hazelnut-sized curds in the mould, allowing sufficient air to circulate and start the growth of Penicillium mould.



Miel de Liébana

Miel de Liébana is a honey produced in the region of Liébana, in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. It comes in two varieties; honeydew and floral honey made from the nectar of oak and heather. This is a very flavorful honey with a heavy floral scent and slightly bitter and salty notes.
Miel de Liébana has a dark amber color and it is almost completely opaque.



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

  • We appear to be missing something to wash that all done with???
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444

    We appear to be missing something to wash that all done with???

    It's in cider country! Flat sidra that's poured from a height to make it temporarily bubbly.

    About 6%. There's apple trees everywhere round here.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited September 2023

    We appear to be missing something to wash that all done with???

    It's in cider country! Flat sidra that's poured from a height to make it temporarily bubbly.

    About 6%. There's apple trees everywhere round here.


    Oh, go on then.


    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,183

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,597
    That looks more like a traditional (of the past decade anyway) Vuelta stage.
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 601
    Nice place to go for your holidays - as Mr Duffield used to say.
    Unfortunately the weather forecast is not so nice.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    bm5 said:

    Nice place to go for your holidays - as Mr Duffield used to say.
    Unfortunately the weather forecast is not so nice.

    Thunderstorms this afternoon I think. Depends on your luck though - we had a pretty rough forecast yesterday but had a lovely coast walk.

    Been for a trail run along the Camino this morning and got totally soaked...
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,183
    There's a reason it's the Costa Verde
  • La Hermida looks sweet. Anyone ridden there?
  • We appear to be missing something to wash that all done with???

    It's in cider country! Flat sidra that's poured from a height to make it temporarily bubbly.

    About 6%. There's apple trees everywhere round here.


    Oh, go on then.


    thats me sold!
  • They're off, and it is wet. Bit messy, no definite break yet.
  • Ineos leading the peloton, trying to close on the sizeable break.
    40 seconds seems quite static
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Break is Groves plus a bunch who think they can win.

    Bardet, Gregoire, Kron probably the best.

    Ineos gradually bringing it back though.
  • Be funny if ineos miss the new break.
  • All back together
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • New little break (of 6) without Ineos again.
  • Dammit, Kron should have been in that, he's been in everything else
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Pacy . Ineos looked desperate tbh
    "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
  • This coastline never ceases to amaze me.
    Still frenetic but the break now has its biggest advantage.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Jumbo Visma bring the break within catching distance, suspect they've got a "do it for Nathan" plan today
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • This coastline never ceases to amaze me.
    Still frenetic but the break now has its biggest advantage.

    Been some scenery today, even in this weather.

    Finally looks dry for the finish,.
  • Vingegaard didn’t hang around
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • He’s got a huge gap.
    One or two riders popping off in forlorn pursuit
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • I can only assume that the tactics of everyone else is to try and store up enough bad blood within JV that they fall apart in a storm of mutual recriminations, some time in 2025
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,611
    Hmm, JV attacking their own red jersey.
    Jonas first and now Roglic.
  • This is just stupid. Roglic now.
  • Jumbmo-Vistar?
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,982
    Kuss getting stuffed
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • I can only assume that the tactics of everyone else is to try and store up enough bad blood within JV that they fall apart in a storm of mutual recriminations, some time in 2025

    JV doing a good job of that themselves
  • Showing what respect they have for Kuss today.