2018 Vuelta a España Stage 4 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 4 of the 2018 Vuelta a España! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
La Vuelta a España leaves the Costa del Sol in its 4th stage. The race starts in Vélez-Málaga to set off in the direction of Granada with a summit finish in the Sierra de la Alfaguara. The ultimate climb is 12.4 kilometres and averaging 5.4%.
In the 4th stage the riders travel from the province of Málaga to the neighbouring province of Granada. Following the start in Vélez-Málaga the route moves along the Costa del Sol to turn inland in Almuñécar. La Vuelta follows the A-4050 to Jete and Otívar. This the Carretera de la Cabra – road of the goats -, an 18.2 kilometres climb with an average gradient of 5.2%. Following a short descent the route continues to climb for 5.8 kilometres at 4% before the riders fly down to the Embalse de los Bermejales.
Starting at the reservoir the route climbs to the plateau on which Granada sits. A prolonged downhill false flat runs to the old town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The race moves through Granada and shortly hits the final climb in the Sierra de la Alfaguara – 12.4 kilometres at 5.4% with its steepest ramps halfway up.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint (at kilometre 143.5) comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
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