A team time trial kicks off the 2023 Vuelta a España in Barcelona but in an edition where climbing is the theme, the 14.6 kilometre stage includes an uphill finish in Montjuic Park.
The route is most definitely not one for the sprinters, with only four truly 'flat' stages - 7, 12, 19 and the final day in Madrid, and punishing ascents such as the Col du Tourmalet in the same day as the hors categorie Col d'Aubisque, Col du Soulor and Col de Spandelles, and a short but frantic stage finishing on the brutally steep Alto de l'Angliru.
While Remco Evenepoel all but won the 2022 Vuelta a España on the time trial stage in Benidorm, this year's mid-race 25-kilometre chrono in Valladolid is less likely to shape the race.
The overall standings shaped by the TTT will explode on the first summit finale at Arinsal in Andorra, preceded by the equally tough Coll d'Ordino crested around 20km to go.
A summit finish at the observatory of Javalambre on stage 6, a 20% grades on the Xorret de Cati just before the finish on stage 8, and a steady climb to the line on the Alto de Caravaca de la Cruz all precede the first rest day.
The stage 10 time trial and a summit finish at Laguna Negra on stage 11 come before a single flat day of racing before race heads into France for the punishing foray in the Pyrenees on stage 13. Another demanding stage with a summit finish at Puerto de Belagua comes on stage 14 will have riders begging for the second rest day.
Riders return with a short but furious stage to Bejes on stage 16 before the cruel finish on the Angliru. A new summit finish on the Puerto de la Cruz de Linares on stage 17 combined with tired legs will make for unpredictable outcomes. There's one truly flat stage before a 208.4km long, lumpy stage to Guadarrama that offers little chance for respite. The parade into Madrid will bring welcome relief and a new Vuelta champion.
