Vuelta España Femenina - Stage 5

Published: 23 April 2024

Stage 5: Huesca – Jaca (114km, mountain)

The first mountain stage of the Vuelta Femenina begins in the province of Aragon and while the stage offers a back-loaded profile – with the majority of the climbing taking place in the final third of the stage – it’s not the easiest of starts for the peloton, as they must tackle 15km of uncategorised climbing early in the day. Those climbs offer a launchpad for breakaway hopefuls. From there, around 40km of probable calm can be expected as the race settles into its rhythm before the final challenges present themselves.

The peloton heads north and east towards the Pyrenees and though the profile presents just over 1,800m of altitude gain – less than stage 3 – it will test the legs ahead of the tougher stages ahead, and general classification leaders will be afforded the opportunity to steal a march on their rivals.

A pair of category two climbs await the riders in the final section of the stage, though their categorisation is the only thing they have in common.

First up is the climb up to the monastery at San Juan de la Peña (18.5km, 3%). The climb is tame in terms of its gradient, but with its length, it will be a gruelling slog that will sap energy ahead of the final test of the day.

After an intermediate sprint in Jaca, the first summit finish of the race awaits. The Alto del Fuerte de Rapitán is just 3.4km in length but at a 7.9% average gradient, with pitches of up to 10%, it will burn the legs and shred the peloton, sorting the riders into a new order in the overall standings ahead of the final three stages.

Words by Katy Madgwick

Major Races

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Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

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