The curtain goes up on the final battle for overall victory in the 2024 Vuelta a España on Friday with a stage on paper very similar to the one which began the second week of high mountains' challenges - but don't be fooled. Friday's stage is much, much tougher.
Back on stage 12, the first hard day of week 2 of the 2024 Vuelta, the peloton trekked across rugged but not overly difficult terrain in Galicia to a lone classified climb, the category 1 summit finish at Alto de Manzaneda. That stage profile is mirrored with what they face on Friday, with a single final category 1 ascent, the Alto de Moncalvillo, only preceded by one minor difficulty, the mid-stage category 3 Puerto de Pradilla.
