2023 Vuelta a España Stage 15 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 15 of the 2023 Vuelta a España! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
The 15th stage of La Vuelta is a hilly race with a downhill finale. After a double ascent of the Puerto de Zuarrarrate, the last 9 kilometres are on descent. The race between Pamplona and Lekunberri is 158.3 kilometres long.
Three Vuelta’s ago, we also saw a Pamplona-Lekunberri stage, and it took place on a very unusual date – Wednesday, 21 October. It was the Vuelta that was plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. No crowds were lining the roads. Both Pamplona and Lekunberri now get a second chance, although the route is totally different.
Back then, Marc Soler attacked in the descent of the last climb, the Alto San Miguel de Aralar. He held off nine chasers to solo to victory before Primoz Roglic sprinted to second place, 19 seconds later.
The climb to Sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar was brutal – 9.4 kilometres at 7.9% on bumpy tarmac – and the Puerto de Zuarrarrate is something else entirely. The average gradient of the 7.3 kilometres long climb sits at 4.8%. It’s part of a finishing circuit of some 30 kilometres long.
After cresting the Puerto de Zuarrarrate for the second time, the riders descend at breakneck speeds to the finish line in Lekunberri.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint comes with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
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