Jai Hindley and Jay Vine, the powerful Australian duo who still have everything to play for as the Vuelta a Espana reaches its climax this weekend, are bracing themselves for one last brutal examination in the Spanish mountains.
Hindley can still grab an overall podium place while Vine can win the biggest prize of his career, the King of the Mountains jersey, if they enjoy a big day in Saturday's 20th and penultimate stage, a merciless slog that takes in over 4200m of climbing and a finish atop the famed Bola del Mundo.
It may be the hardest stage of the entire three-week Grand Tour, which is why both Aussies enjoyed a more gentle day in the saddle on a rare flat 19th stage on Friday as Jasper Philipsen sped immaculately to a hat-trick of wins on the 159km trek between Rueda and Guijuelo (159 km).
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