La Vuelta 2020 - Stage 10: Castro Urdiales > Suances - 185 km *Spoilers*

La Vuelta 2020 - Stage 10: Castro Urdiales > Suances - 185 km
Friday 30 October, 11-45 GMT.

At 185 kilometres, stage 10 on La Vuelta travels on flat to bumpy roads close to the Bay of Biscay. The race runs from Castro Urdiales to Suances. The stage is likely to unfold another sprint finish. Yet, the fast men should take note of the last 2 kilometres.
It has been a long time since La Vuelta last visited Castro Urdiales. In 1958, the race started in the town on the Bay of Biscay and traveled to Santander, where Frenchman Jean Graczyk took the spoils.



The route traverses the Cantabrian coast in easterly direction.



At kilometre 117, the riders move through Torrelavega, which lies 10 kilometres south of Suances ligt. Yet, the route continues a little further east to tackle the only KOM climb of the day. The Alto de San Cipriano is 5.5 kilometres long and the average gradient sits at 4.4%.



Still 60 kilometres to go at the crest of the Alto de San Cipriano. The route once again runs along the coast. Despite being far from flat, strong sprinters should be able to hold on. Especially since the last 10 kilometres are flat.



Sprinters should be able to survive those sections before their teams could reel in the breakaway in time for a bunch sprint in the streets of Suances.
The intermediate sprint – at kilometre 135.5 – comes with time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Paolo Bettini is the last stage winner in Suances in 2008.
In an all Italian affair, he outgunned Davide Rebellin and Damiano Cunego.

Favourites 10th stage 2020 Vuelta a España

*** Sam Bennett, Pascal Ackermann,
** Jasper Philipsen, Jon Aberasturi
* Gerben Thijssen, Jakub Mareczko, Max Kanter, Magnus Cort

Castro Urdiales

2 stages of La Vuelta have departed from Castro Urdiales
31.977 inhabitants

La Vuelta has not had a stage departure in Castro Urdiales for the last 60 years. The last time a stage took off from this Cantabrian village was in April 1958. The stage ended in Santander and was won by French rider, Jean Graczyk. 20 years later, the city was named as Historical Complex (1978) for its emblematic city centre that dates back to Medieval times, made up of streets and buildings that have been very well-preserved by local institutions.



Its chief industries are tourism, fishing, and the preservation of fish, especially sardines and anchovies, in oil. The Lolin and La Castreña anchovy canning factories serve as a reminder of the town's closeness to this industry and its proximity to the sea.



Suances

1 stage of La Vuelta have had finale in Suances
8.716 inhabitants

Deceuninck-Quick Step’s dominance in La Vuelta began with one name: Paolo Bettini. The Italian rider, a two-time world champion, won five of the first seven stage victories of the Belgian team in La Vuelta. The last one was in Suances (2008). Bettini proved his world champion prowess in the coastal municipality’s steep slopes, finishing off his legendary victory tally with what would be his final triumph as a professional rider.

Due to the beaches and the hotels, Suances is the most important centre of tourism in the central coast of Cantabria. The touristic season starts in June and ends in October.





Basque Dish of the Day.

Txipirones

Txipirones are baby squid cooked in their own ink. The ink is often mixed with white wine and garlic to give it more flavour.



Bacalao a la Vizcaína

Another cod dish, bacalao a la Vizcaína is from the Vizcaya province of the Basque Country, of which Bilbao is the capital. It’s a piece of cod smothered in a tomato sauce, made from onions, garlic and roasted red peppers.