Puerto de Ancares (Vuelta a Espana)
Puerto de Ancares (Vuelta a Espana)
The Puerto de Ancares has hosted a series of memorable Vuelta a Espana stage finishes in recent years, including Alberto Contador’s final decisive victory over Chris Froome on the penultimate stage last year.
The 12.8km climb boasts a thigh-burning average gradient of 8.7 per cent but those stats don’t tell the true story of a climb which ramps up sharply and consistently in the last five kilometres. At that point the average gradient is nearer to 12 per cent, the steepest ramps falling just shy of one-in-five.
Joaquim Rodriguez is another former winner on the climb in recent history, winning an epic stage in 2012 which saw Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Chris Froome defeated.
While it perhaps isn’t as brutal as the Angliru, it is fast becoming a favourite for fans of the season’s final Grand Tour.
Key facts
Length: 12.8km
Average gradient: 8.7%
Maximum gradient: 19%