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“Thursday, 31 August The 6th stage of the Tour of Spain is a 183.1 kilometre mountain stage with almost 4,000 metres of altitude, ending with the climb to the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre, or: the Pico del Buitre. It is a ordeal that gets steeper and steeper towards the end. La Vall d'Uixó is a small town north of Valencia with just over 30,000 inhabitants. It is close to the Mediterranean Sea, but the riders do not get to see it. From the start, the peloton heads west into the mountains. The first hill climbs at 5 % for 4.4 kilometres. After a negligible descent, it continues hilly to the Puerto de Arenillas, a similar climb over 5.8 kilometres at 4.7%. Barely 30 kilometres after the summit, the next climb awaits: the Alto Fuente de Rubielos. This means 6.1 kilometres uphill at 6.2%, with the first kilometres being the most difficult. After the summit - the riders now have almost half of the stage's climbing metres behind them - the route winds across a plateau. At the end of this plain - which is of course ““Spanish flatland““ - is Arcos de las Salinas. Normally, no one would pay attention to this village, but for the riders, Arcos de las Salinas marks the beginning of the final climb to the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre. The start of the ordeal is relatively easy. But from kilometre 3 onwards, the gradient shoots up into double figures. Halfway through, a short descent awaits the riders, after which they are immediately confronted with a 16% climb. This is the benchmark for the rest of the course. The climb to the Javalambre Observatory is 10.9 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 8%, while the gradient barely drops below 10% in the second half. This is the second time a stage of the Vuelta has finished at the observatory on Pico del Buitre. In the first one in 2019, Jetse Bol played the leading role. Thanks to him, team-mate Ángel Madrazo won the stage, Bol himself came second.“ ( & Routes 'n' Maps 'n' Flags) Creating cycling stage animations requires a lot of work and computing power. You are welcome to support me with a donation:
