Alto de l’Angliru (Vuelta a Espana)
Alto de l’Angliru (Vuelta a Espana)
Vuelta a Espana organisers wanted a climb to rival Alpe d’Huez and in the Alto de l’Angliru they certainly found one.
Topping many riders’ lists as the toughest Grand Tour climb of them all, the narrow road and brutal gradient have seen it billed as ‘barbaric’ and ‘inhumane’ by some. Even the world’s best climbers have to take it in slow motion, such is its difficulty.
That hasn’t stopped organisers including it six times since first announcing its 1999 debut with Alberto Contador a winner up it and Chris Horner sealing his 2013 title with a gutsy display (and the second fastest ascent ever) on the climb.
The average gradient of 10.1 per cent is tough but belies the many steep pitches on the climb, which was so tough in wet conditions in 2002 that Britain’s David Millar abandoned the race in protest. At its steepest, the gradient touches 24 per cent and there are many similar ramps approaching the one-in-five mark.
Key facts
Length: 12.5km
Average gradient: 10.1%
Maximum gradient: 24%