2022 Vuelta a España Stage 12 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 12 of the 2022 Vuelta a España! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
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La Vuelta re-enters the mountains on stage 12. Or should we say mountain? The predominantly flat stage along the Spanish south coast adds up to 192.7 kilometres and finishes at the 19 kilometres long Peñas Blancas climb.
It’s the longest stage of the entire Vuelta a España, mostly travelling on the flat roads along the south coast. After some shallow uphill strokes in the first 35 kilometres the route levels out after Nerja.
The riders leave the coast after Málaga to enter more lumpy terrain. The climbing intensifies in Coín and after reaching the summit in Ojén the route descends into Marbella. Another 27 kilometres on the flat lead to Estepona, which is where the finish climb begins.
Peñas Blancas is an ascent of 19 kilometres long with an average gradient of 6.7%. It’s extra special as the ascent virtually begins on the beach – so at sea level – and climbs to an elevation of 1,270 metres. The first 3 kilometres are the steepest part.
Leopold König climbed to victory at Peñas Blancas in the 2013 edition of the Vuelta a España. Alejandro Valverde took the spoils in the Ruta del Sol of 2016. On both occasions, the finish was not as high on the mountain as this time.
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