We will travel to San Vicente de la Barquera for today's stage start. A stage start at La Vuelta is like no other Grand Tour start. Teams and riders are much more relaxed and fans can easily mingle among their cycling heroes.
Stage Start and Cantabrian Coast Spanish landscapes are diverse and contrasting. Much of the country is dry and arid, easily mistaken for the desert. However, the bay of Biscay and the adjacent mountain ranges attract moisture maintaining the lush green forests and fields. Together with sandy beaches, surf swells one could easily retire or easily …
Stage Start and Cantabrian Coast
Spanish landscapes are diverse and contrasting. Much of the country is dry and arid, easily mistaken for the desert. However, the bay of Biscay and the adjacent mountain ranges attract moisture maintaining the lush green forests and fields. Together with sandy beaches, surf swells one could easily retire or easily extend their holiday here.
We can enjoy a leisurely start this morning, enjoying a long breakfast before we travel to the stage start. The start is in an old village, San Vicente de la Barquera and is one of the most picturesque sights on the Cantabrian coast, with its beaches and the exceptional backdrop of the mountains of the Picos de Europa.
A stage start at the Vuelta is like no other Grand Tour start. Teams and riders are much more relaxed and fans can easily mingle among their cycling heroes. The tour village is a lively hub to experience the fun of La Vuelta.
After the riders depart, we’ll follow them out on a somewhat more scenic route. We’ll have a little climbing and visit several scenic locations. Both our rides will finish in Llanes 50 km further along the coast. Our challenging ride will cover a distance of 90 km riding through the Picos de Europa. Our shorter ride will take a more direct route closer to the coastline.
For our shorter ride, you’ll have the opportunity to take some brag pictures during today’s ride and to explore Llanes before our longer ride arrives. After freshening up from our ride, we’ll make the final transfer to our next hotel, where we’ll stay three nights. Our luxury hotel is located in a quiet village just out of Oviedo. It has a wonderful health spa and is a popular location for many cyclists and cycling teams to do performance testing and training together.
TODAY IN THE RACE
Stage 14 – San Vincente de la Barquera to Oviedo
More or less a transition stage, the Vuelta follows much of the famous Camino de Santiago running along the coastline of Cantabria and finishing in the Asturias. This is Green Spain, many popular holiday locations for the Spanish to escape the hot summer climates that the rest of the country experiences during Summer. Marked as a mostly flat stage, there are many undulations in today’s itinerary.