Puerto de Ancares (Vuelta a Espana)
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The Angliru is widely touted as the toughest climb in pro cycling - but what else made our list? (pic: Sirotti)
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The peloton tackles the Wall of Sormano (pic: Sirotti)
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Colombians, Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran do battle on the Zoncolan pic: ©Sirotti
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Christopher Horner rides alone after dropping Vuelta a Espana GC rival Vincenzo Nibali on the Angliru (pic: Sirotti)
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Peter Cossins' looks at 'cycling's greatest climb' in Alpe d'Huez (pic: Media-24)
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Froome rounds the final corner of the Mont Ventoux on his way to his 2013 stage win (pic: Sirotti)
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The iconic Passo dello Stelvio is likely to feature on the 'must ride' list of any cyclist. pic: ©Media24
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The Koppenberg is known to have forced many a cyclist to get off and push (pic: Sirotti)
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Alejandro Valverde celebrates his La Fleche Wallonne triumph atop the Mur de Huy in 2015 (pic: Sirotti)
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The snow-laden slopes of the Gavia featured at the Giro last year (pic: Sirotti)
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The Passo Giau is set in a landscape that can accurately be described as stunning. pic: ©Sirotti
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Joaquim Rodriguez resplendent in the maglia rosa at the 2012 Giro d'Italia, tackles the Mortirolo
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The Col du Tourmalet was part of the 2014 Etape du Tour (pic: muneaki / Creative Commons)
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Joaquim Rodriguez celebrates his win on the Ancares in 2012 (pic: Sirotti)
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Nairo Quintana and Pierre Rolland tackle the Montecampione at last year's Giro d'Italia (pic: Sirotti)
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The stunning backdrop masks the fierceness of the climb to the Lakes of Covadonga (pic: Sirotti)
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The Hautacam has become a popular modern addition to the Tour de France pic: ©Media24
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%