[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/k4tYprujEmFKEU3Da2o7h6-1024-80.jpg”]
As it happened: Vuelta a España stage 3 comes to a premature end
As it happened: Domination on stage 4 of the Vuelta a España with a long-range solo move in Andorra
As it happened: British sensation steals the show in first road stage at La Vuelta a España 2026
Vuelta a España stage 6 LIVE – Strong break finally gets away as Pogačar and UAE control behind, gravel climb looming
177.4km stage from Alcossebre to Castelló features four categorised climbs, the last of which features a gravel stretch
(Image credit: © Getty Images)
Here’s the latest from the road.
🏁- 83 km | Stage 6️⃣ – Etapa 6️⃣ | #LaVuelta26💪 A group of 16 riders including van Aert, Buitrago and Bilbao is working hard at the front of the race, as @TeamEmiratesUAE are setting the pace behind💥 Un grupo de 16 hombres con van Aert, Buitrago o Bilbao es cabeza de carrera… pic.twitter.com/LvkOo9lgZhAugust 27, 2026
Crash
A few riders have just come off at the back of the peloton, mainly Tudor riders, three of them hit the deck. Including birthday boy Marco Brenner 🙁
Van Aert is setting the pace on the front of the break to pull out the gap towards a minute and a half.
The 16 leaders nearly have a minute’s lead now, with UAE on the front of the peloton. I think they’re trying to let the group go and shut down any more chasing, rather than chase themselves… Let’s see.
If this gap can go out over a minute and a half that would be good for the break. Seems to be settling down.
95km to go
Ah the reason Pogačar is getting in the mix is also because Oscar Onley is following moves off the front of the peloton. GC action happening already…
Anyone hoping for a straightforward breakaway day, you can forget about that!
Gosh now even Pogačar is getting involved behind. UAE would obviously rather that a Decathlon-free break got away.
It’s Decathlon CMA CGM who are really still pushing it behind. They don’t have a rider in the break so they’re not happy.
And the chasers have just caught the four leaders, so that should be 16 in the lead now.
Behind, there’s a bit of disagreement in the bunch over whether they’re happy to let this go or not. So they’re only around 45 seconds ahead of the peloton.
If the teams in the bunch say ‘OK, let it go’ then this will be our move of the day (finally) but if even one team keeps pushing on, this could continue…
Buitrago, Bennett, Kron and Leemreize are leading, with a fairly big chasing group – that includes Wout van Aert – within 20 seconds as we head into the final 100km.
Out the back, Mads Pedersen has been distanced.
110km to go
The riders are over the top of that climb, with the next wave of attacks being launched. It’s George Bennett (NSN), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) who are 14 seconds up the road, but ominously, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have come to the front to pace.
As I typed, that latest group has also been pulled back. It’s been brutal right from the start and the longer this fight for the breakaway goes, the more likely it becomes that UAE will start pacing for Pogačar with a third stage win on offer…
Climb: Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%)
There’s a new move forming towards the front of the race with more than 15 riders getting ahead of the peloton. The gaps are still so tight for the moment, with the attacking far from over.
With still no breakaway and approaching the foot of the next climb, more attacks are being launched in anticipation of the Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%).
120km to go
Unfortunately, Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos) has abandoned the Vuelta a España. We will update with more information once there is communication from the team.
KOM results from Puerto de la Serratella:
1st: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) – 5 points
2nd: Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) – 3 points
3rd: Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ United) – 1 point
Tadej Pogačar has been staying hidden in the bunch so far…
Could he be hoping to give this stage to the break, or is he just biding is time? According to our poll, most of you think he’s going to win today!
Enjoying our live race coverage? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for an all-access pass to our unrivalled reporting of WorldTour racing, bike tech and exclusive in-depth features. Plus, access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on-the-go!
Beautiful landscapes in Valencia.
Biggest fight for the break yet
Now, I’ve been on holiday until today, but the official Vuelta channel reliably tells me that “this is the most intense battle for the break so far” at this year’s race.
It certainly has been a long one, with an average speed of just over 41kph for the first hour.
140km to go
Nearly 40km done and we’re still breakless.
Will it go before the top of this climb? Sounds like a bigger group has just clipped off the front, and they’ll be hoping that size works in their favour…
Fairly usual suspects in terms of what teams are controlling at the front of the peloton: UAE, Decathlon, Red Bull.
Pinarello-Q36.5 seem particularly keen to get in the break today, they’ve had a few riders on the attack already.
Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5) has just joined the leaders to make it three in front, but they’re leading by less than 15 seconds halfway up the climb.
Climb: Puerto de la Serratella (14.1km at 4%)
The bunch are now on the first categorised climb of the day. It’s the longest at 14.1km, but the average gradient is only 4%, so relatively tame compared to what’s to come this afternoon.
If you’re looking for something to read whilst you wait for the live coverage to start, may I recommend this in-depth feature about Team Amani, and their bold – but realistic – plans to make it to the Tour de France Femmes in 2028.
Pedalling hard to realise the African dream – Team Amani's two-year plan for a Tour de France Femmes start
Team Amani have enjoyed green shoots of success this season, but hope for more resources to reach their goal of a Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift start in 2028
Lutsenko and Bisiaux are slightly building their lead, but it’s still not enough to be day done, and we’re only 25km in…
About 20km done, Lutsenko and Bisiaux are in the lead but there’s a group chasing behind them, and the gap is still only really small – 15 seconds from the leaders to the peloton with the chasers in between.
Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) is with Lutsenko, but the gap is still small.
Sounds like Alexey Lutsenko (NSN) might have a bit of a gap on the peloton. He won’t want to be out there alone, though, and the attacks are continuing behind.
Attacks all over the road so far.
Just over 10km done. The attacks are flowing but nothing has quite stuck yet.
Gravel in Grand Tours, yay or nay?
The inclusion of gravel in Grand Tours is becoming more and more common, but there’s still a bit of debate about whether it’s a good thing or not.
On the one hand, it adds to the excitement and to the ‘all-rounder’ qualities that a GT winner needs, but on the other hand, a lot of people think it’s frustrating that a race could be lost because of a puncture or crash on gravel.
Our gravel expert Jackie Tyson spoke to Michael Woods about today’s stage: ‘From a spectator’s perspective, it’s awesome’ – Michael Woods says gravel section on stage 6 of 2026 Vuelta a España is ‘ambush territory’
But what do you think?
The first attacks are starting. It’s a big day to be in the breakaway, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a pretty fierce – and drawn-out – battle for the break.
Here’s a reminder of what is on the cards today:
Official start
Off we go – 177.5km and four categorised climbs to come.
Don’t forget to vote in the poll above to tell us who you think is going to win, or better yet, tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Not the most successful start line selfie I’ve ever seen. Where is everyone else?
Startline selfie 🤳😍Selfie del día 🤳🥹#LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/1KU6f779Q2August 27, 2026
Neutral roll-out
And they’re off!
A little earlier than planned but the peloton have just rolled out for the neutral.
A scenic start this morning in Alcossebre on the coast.
Want a closer look at the stage today?
Our preview has all the details of the route, plus Alasdair Fotheringham, who is on the ground for us, has been gathering intel from the peloton.
Vuelta a España 2026 stage 6 preview: ‘It’ll all depend on Tadej’ – After years of waiting, gravel is finally on the menu in Spain
Not just gravel, but a gravel climb
Today should be a really exciting stage in Spain, because not only is the Vuelta embracing gravel for the first time (something the other Grand Tours have experimented with already) but they’re going in hard with a gravel climb, the Puerto El Bartolo.
9.4km long with a punishing average gradient of 7%, this would be a hard climb in normal circumstance, but it’s made even trickier by the fact that the final kilometres are unpaved gravel.
And? It tops out with 20km to go on today’s stage… fireworks incoming. Here’s a closer look at the climb:
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España.
Follow along all day for live updates and commentary on the race.
-
1‘Heartbroken’ Chad Haga says his career is over after a heavy crash in training
-
2
UCI Mountain Bike World Championships: Rising Australian multi-discipline star Connor Wright takes junior men’s XCO title, Anja Grossmann wins women’s race
-
3
Hope for Lapierre as court decision gives French bike manufacturer ‘the right and the time to fight’
-
4
‘I’m not like Pogačar’ – Wout van Aert happy in support role at Vuelta a España but wants his sunglasses back
-
5
Vuelta a España stage 6 LIVE – Battle for the breakaway continuing as peloton warm up for gravel climb in Valencia
Vuelta a España stage 6 LIVE – Strong break finally gets away as Pogačar and UAE control behind, gravel climb looming
177.4km stage from Alcossebre to Castelló features four categorised climbs, the last of which features a gravel stretch
(Image credit: © Getty Images)
Vuelta a España stage 6 LIVE – Strong break finally gets away as Pogačar and UAE control behind, gravel climb looming
177.4km stage from Alcossebre to Castelló features four categorised climbs, the last of which features a gravel stretch
(Image credit: © Getty Images)
Here’s the latest from the road.
🏁- 83 km | Stage 6️⃣ – Etapa 6️⃣ | #LaVuelta26💪 A group of 16 riders including van Aert, Buitrago and Bilbao is working hard at the front of the race, as @TeamEmiratesUAE are setting the pace behind💥 Un grupo de 16 hombres con van Aert, Buitrago o Bilbao es cabeza de carrera… pic.twitter.com/LvkOo9lgZhAugust 27, 2026
Crash
A few riders have just come off at the back of the peloton, mainly Tudor riders, three of them hit the deck. Including birthday boy Marco Brenner 🙁
Van Aert is setting the pace on the front of the break to pull out the gap towards a minute and a half.
The 16 leaders nearly have a minute’s lead now, with UAE on the front of the peloton. I think they’re trying to let the group go and shut down any more chasing, rather than chase themselves… Let’s see.
If this gap can go out over a minute and a half that would be good for the break. Seems to be settling down.
95km to go
Ah the reason Pogačar is getting in the mix is also because Oscar Onley is following moves off the front of the peloton. GC action happening already…
Anyone hoping for a straightforward breakaway day, you can forget about that!
Gosh now even Pogačar is getting involved behind. UAE would obviously rather that a Decathlon-free break got away.
It’s Decathlon CMA CGM who are really still pushing it behind. They don’t have a rider in the break so they’re not happy.
And the chasers have just caught the four leaders, so that should be 16 in the lead now.
Behind, there’s a bit of disagreement in the bunch over whether they’re happy to let this go or not. So they’re only around 45 seconds ahead of the peloton.
If the teams in the bunch say ‘OK, let it go’ then this will be our move of the day (finally) but if even one team keeps pushing on, this could continue…
Buitrago, Bennett, Kron and Leemreize are leading, with a fairly big chasing group – that includes Wout van Aert – within 20 seconds as we head into the final 100km.
Out the back, Mads Pedersen has been distanced.
110km to go
The riders are over the top of that climb, with the next wave of attacks being launched. It’s George Bennett (NSN), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) who are 14 seconds up the road, but ominously, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have come to the front to pace.
As I typed, that latest group has also been pulled back. It’s been brutal right from the start and the longer this fight for the breakaway goes, the more likely it becomes that UAE will start pacing for Pogačar with a third stage win on offer…
Climb: Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%)
There’s a new move forming towards the front of the race with more than 15 riders getting ahead of the peloton. The gaps are still so tight for the moment, with the attacking far from over.
With still no breakaway and approaching the foot of the next climb, more attacks are being launched in anticipation of the Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%).
120km to go
Unfortunately, Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos) has abandoned the Vuelta a España. We will update with more information once there is communication from the team.
KOM results from Puerto de la Serratella:
1st: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) – 5 points
2nd: Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) – 3 points
3rd: Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ United) – 1 point
Tadej Pogačar has been staying hidden in the bunch so far…
Could he be hoping to give this stage to the break, or is he just biding is time? According to our poll, most of you think he’s going to win today!
Enjoying our live race coverage? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for an all-access pass to our unrivalled reporting of WorldTour racing, bike tech and exclusive in-depth features. Plus, access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on-the-go!
Beautiful landscapes in Valencia.
Biggest fight for the break yet
Now, I’ve been on holiday until today, but the official Vuelta channel reliably tells me that “this is the most intense battle for the break so far” at this year’s race.
It certainly has been a long one, with an average speed of just over 41kph for the first hour.
140km to go
Nearly 40km done and we’re still breakless.
Will it go before the top of this climb? Sounds like a bigger group has just clipped off the front, and they’ll be hoping that size works in their favour…
Fairly usual suspects in terms of what teams are controlling at the front of the peloton: UAE, Decathlon, Red Bull.
Pinarello-Q36.5 seem particularly keen to get in the break today, they’ve had a few riders on the attack already.
Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5) has just joined the leaders to make it three in front, but they’re leading by less than 15 seconds halfway up the climb.
Climb: Puerto de la Serratella (14.1km at 4%)
The bunch are now on the first categorised climb of the day. It’s the longest at 14.1km, but the average gradient is only 4%, so relatively tame compared to what’s to come this afternoon.
If you’re looking for something to read whilst you wait for the live coverage to start, may I recommend this in-depth feature about Team Amani, and their bold – but realistic – plans to make it to the Tour de France Femmes in 2028.
Pedalling hard to realise the African dream – Team Amani's two-year plan for a Tour de France Femmes start
Team Amani have enjoyed green shoots of success this season, but hope for more resources to reach their goal of a Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift start in 2028
Lutsenko and Bisiaux are slightly building their lead, but it’s still not enough to be day done, and we’re only 25km in…
About 20km done, Lutsenko and Bisiaux are in the lead but there’s a group chasing behind them, and the gap is still only really small – 15 seconds from the leaders to the peloton with the chasers in between.
Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) is with Lutsenko, but the gap is still small.
Sounds like Alexey Lutsenko (NSN) might have a bit of a gap on the peloton. He won’t want to be out there alone, though, and the attacks are continuing behind.
Attacks all over the road so far.
Just over 10km done. The attacks are flowing but nothing has quite stuck yet.
Gravel in Grand Tours, yay or nay?
The inclusion of gravel in Grand Tours is becoming more and more common, but there’s still a bit of debate about whether it’s a good thing or not.
On the one hand, it adds to the excitement and to the ‘all-rounder’ qualities that a GT winner needs, but on the other hand, a lot of people think it’s frustrating that a race could be lost because of a puncture or crash on gravel.
Our gravel expert Jackie Tyson spoke to Michael Woods about today’s stage: ‘From a spectator’s perspective, it’s awesome’ – Michael Woods says gravel section on stage 6 of 2026 Vuelta a España is ‘ambush territory’
But what do you think?
The first attacks are starting. It’s a big day to be in the breakaway, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a pretty fierce – and drawn-out – battle for the break.
Here’s a reminder of what is on the cards today:
Official start
Off we go – 177.5km and four categorised climbs to come.
Don’t forget to vote in the poll above to tell us who you think is going to win, or better yet, tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Not the most successful start line selfie I’ve ever seen. Where is everyone else?
Startline selfie 🤳😍Selfie del día 🤳🥹#LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/1KU6f779Q2August 27, 2026
Neutral roll-out
And they’re off!
A little earlier than planned but the peloton have just rolled out for the neutral.
A scenic start this morning in Alcossebre on the coast.
Want a closer look at the stage today?
Our preview has all the details of the route, plus Alasdair Fotheringham, who is on the ground for us, has been gathering intel from the peloton.
Vuelta a España 2026 stage 6 preview: ‘It’ll all depend on Tadej’ – After years of waiting, gravel is finally on the menu in Spain
Not just gravel, but a gravel climb
Today should be a really exciting stage in Spain, because not only is the Vuelta embracing gravel for the first time (something the other Grand Tours have experimented with already) but they’re going in hard with a gravel climb, the Puerto El Bartolo.
9.4km long with a punishing average gradient of 7%, this would be a hard climb in normal circumstance, but it’s made even trickier by the fact that the final kilometres are unpaved gravel.
And? It tops out with 20km to go on today’s stage… fireworks incoming. Here’s a closer look at the climb:
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España.
Follow along all day for live updates and commentary on the race.
Here’s the latest from the road.
🏁- 83 km | Stage 6️⃣ – Etapa 6️⃣ | #LaVuelta26💪 A group of 16 riders including van Aert, Buitrago and Bilbao is working hard at the front of the race, as @TeamEmiratesUAE are setting the pace behind💥 Un grupo de 16 hombres con van Aert, Buitrago o Bilbao es cabeza de carrera… pic.twitter.com/LvkOo9lgZhAugust 27, 2026
Crash
A few riders have just come off at the back of the peloton, mainly Tudor riders, three of them hit the deck. Including birthday boy Marco Brenner 🙁
Van Aert is setting the pace on the front of the break to pull out the gap towards a minute and a half.
The 16 leaders nearly have a minute’s lead now, with UAE on the front of the peloton. I think they’re trying to let the group go and shut down any more chasing, rather than chase themselves… Let’s see.
If this gap can go out over a minute and a half that would be good for the break. Seems to be settling down.
95km to go
Ah the reason Pogačar is getting in the mix is also because Oscar Onley is following moves off the front of the peloton. GC action happening already…
Anyone hoping for a straightforward breakaway day, you can forget about that!
Gosh now even Pogačar is getting involved behind. UAE would obviously rather that a Decathlon-free break got away.
It’s Decathlon CMA CGM who are really still pushing it behind. They don’t have a rider in the break so they’re not happy.
And the chasers have just caught the four leaders, so that should be 16 in the lead now.
Behind, there’s a bit of disagreement in the bunch over whether they’re happy to let this go or not. So they’re only around 45 seconds ahead of the peloton.
If the teams in the bunch say ‘OK, let it go’ then this will be our move of the day (finally) but if even one team keeps pushing on, this could continue…
Buitrago, Bennett, Kron and Leemreize are leading, with a fairly big chasing group – that includes Wout van Aert – within 20 seconds as we head into the final 100km.
Out the back, Mads Pedersen has been distanced.
110km to go
The riders are over the top of that climb, with the next wave of attacks being launched. It’s George Bennett (NSN), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) who are 14 seconds up the road, but ominously, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have come to the front to pace.
As I typed, that latest group has also been pulled back. It’s been brutal right from the start and the longer this fight for the breakaway goes, the more likely it becomes that UAE will start pacing for Pogačar with a third stage win on offer…
Climb: Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%)
There’s a new move forming towards the front of the race with more than 15 riders getting ahead of the peloton. The gaps are still so tight for the moment, with the attacking far from over.
With still no breakaway and approaching the foot of the next climb, more attacks are being launched in anticipation of the Coll de la Bandereta (4.6km at 6.7%).
120km to go
Unfortunately, Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos) has abandoned the Vuelta a España. We will update with more information once there is communication from the team.
KOM results from Puerto de la Serratella:
1st: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) – 5 points
2nd: Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) – 3 points
3rd: Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ United) – 1 point
Tadej Pogačar has been staying hidden in the bunch so far…
Could he be hoping to give this stage to the break, or is he just biding is time? According to our poll, most of you think he’s going to win today!
Enjoying our live race coverage? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for an all-access pass to our unrivalled reporting of WorldTour racing, bike tech and exclusive in-depth features. Plus, access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on-the-go!
Beautiful landscapes in Valencia.
Biggest fight for the break yet
Now, I’ve been on holiday until today, but the official Vuelta channel reliably tells me that “this is the most intense battle for the break so far” at this year’s race.
It certainly has been a long one, with an average speed of just over 41kph for the first hour.
140km to go
Nearly 40km done and we’re still breakless.
Will it go before the top of this climb? Sounds like a bigger group has just clipped off the front, and they’ll be hoping that size works in their favour…
Fairly usual suspects in terms of what teams are controlling at the front of the peloton: UAE, Decathlon, Red Bull.
Pinarello-Q36.5 seem particularly keen to get in the break today, they’ve had a few riders on the attack already.
Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5) has just joined the leaders to make it three in front, but they’re leading by less than 15 seconds halfway up the climb.
Climb: Puerto de la Serratella (14.1km at 4%)
The bunch are now on the first categorised climb of the day. It’s the longest at 14.1km, but the average gradient is only 4%, so relatively tame compared to what’s to come this afternoon.
If you’re looking for something to read whilst you wait for the live coverage to start, may I recommend this in-depth feature about Team Amani, and their bold – but realistic – plans to make it to the Tour de France Femmes in 2028.
Pedalling hard to realise the African dream – Team Amani's two-year plan for a Tour de France Femmes start
Team Amani have enjoyed green shoots of success this season, but hope for more resources to reach their goal of a Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift start in 2028
Lutsenko and Bisiaux are slightly building their lead, but it’s still not enough to be day done, and we’re only 25km in…
About 20km done, Lutsenko and Bisiaux are in the lead but there’s a group chasing behind them, and the gap is still only really small – 15 seconds from the leaders to the peloton with the chasers in between.
Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) is with Lutsenko, but the gap is still small.
Sounds like Alexey Lutsenko (NSN) might have a bit of a gap on the peloton. He won’t want to be out there alone, though, and the attacks are continuing behind.
Attacks all over the road so far.
Just over 10km done. The attacks are flowing but nothing has quite stuck yet.
Gravel in Grand Tours, yay or nay?
The inclusion of gravel in Grand Tours is becoming more and more common, but there’s still a bit of debate about whether it’s a good thing or not.
On the one hand, it adds to the excitement and to the ‘all-rounder’ qualities that a GT winner needs, but on the other hand, a lot of people think it’s frustrating that a race could be lost because of a puncture or crash on gravel.
Our gravel expert Jackie Tyson spoke to Michael Woods about today’s stage: ‘From a spectator’s perspective, it’s awesome’ – Michael Woods says gravel section on stage 6 of 2026 Vuelta a España is ‘ambush territory’
But what do you think?
The first attacks are starting. It’s a big day to be in the breakaway, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a pretty fierce – and drawn-out – battle for the break.
Here’s a reminder of what is on the cards today:
Official start
Off we go – 177.5km and four categorised climbs to come.
Don’t forget to vote in the poll above to tell us who you think is going to win, or better yet, tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Not the most successful start line selfie I’ve ever seen. Where is everyone else?
Startline selfie 🤳😍Selfie del día 🤳🥹#LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/1KU6f779Q2August 27, 2026
Neutral roll-out
And they’re off!
A little earlier than planned but the peloton have just rolled out for the neutral.
A scenic start this morning in Alcossebre on the coast.
Want a closer look at the stage today?
Our preview has all the details of the route, plus Alasdair Fotheringham, who is on the ground for us, has been gathering intel from the peloton.
Vuelta a España 2026 stage 6 preview: ‘It’ll all depend on Tadej’ – After years of waiting, gravel is finally on the menu in Spain
Not just gravel, but a gravel climb
Today should be a really exciting stage in Spain, because not only is the Vuelta embracing gravel for the first time (something the other Grand Tours have experimented with already) but they’re going in hard with a gravel climb, the Puerto El Bartolo.
9.4km long with a punishing average gradient of 7%, this would be a hard climb in normal circumstance, but it’s made even trickier by the fact that the final kilometres are unpaved gravel.
And? It tops out with 20km to go on today’s stage… fireworks incoming. Here’s a closer look at the climb:
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España.
Follow along all day for live updates and commentary on the race.
[analyse_source url=”https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/live/vuelta-a-espana-stage-6-live-fireworks-expected-as-gravel-and-steep-climbs-on-the-menu-in-spain/”]