2022 Vuelta a España Stage 5 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 5 of the 2022 Vuelta a España! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The 5th stage of the Vuelta a España travels from Irún to Bilbao. The race amounts to 187.2 kilometres and features five climbs, while the finale a downhill onto the Gran Vía of Bilbao.
The 2020 Vuelta set off from Iún after Utrecht was ruled out due to the Covid19-pandemic. The race went to the Sanctuary of Arrate, and Primoz Roglic did not falter and took the first red jersey. Three weeks later, after an exciting battle with Richard Carapaz, the Slovene won the GC for the second consecutive year.
It has been three years since the Vuelta last visited Bilbao. The steep Alto de Arraiz marked the finale and Philippe Gilbert used it as a launch pad for a decisive attack. Álex Aranburu clung onto his wheel, but eventually the Wallonian dropped him and soloed to the stage win.
This year’s Bilbao finale is not as trying, although it features the raw material for compelling racing. The riders crest the Alto de Vivero twice in the last 45 kilometres. The climb is 4.6 kilometres long and averages 8%, while the middle section is especially trying with several double digit sectors. It evens out to 5% in the final 1.5 kilometres.
After the last passage over the Alto de Vivero there are 14 kilometres remaining, virtually all on the descent.
The finale was also included in 2016. The race boiled down to a sprint with Jens Keukeleire taking the spoils.
In the run-up to that promising finale the riders also conquer the Alto de Gontzagarinaga, Balcón de Bizkaia and Alto de Morga, climb of – respectively – 5.3 kilometres at 4.5%, 4.2 kilometres at 5.6% and 8.6 kilometres at 3.5% percent.
Get our full coverage of the Vuelta a España and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
