Three days of high mountain to put into play the leadership of an anniversary Vuelta a León
XXX Vuelta Ciclista a León
From 22 to 27 July
A night time trial in the most central streets of Astorga will welcome this Monday the starting gun for a special edition of the Vuelta Ciclista a León. The Leonese round reaches its thirtieth edition and facing this anniversary both the Provincial Council and Kiana Sport, the promoters of the race, have prepared a route in which the mountain will have vital importance in the resolution of the fight for the general. Or it has it again, or better said, since it is a race that has never given up on betting on demanding stages and climbs that, in some cases, are still unheard of for professional cycling or the Vuelta a España itself.
The León routes have always been complex, marked by the high summer temperatures and by the particular roads, and their particular asphalts, of the province. In 2019, three stages emerge, three consecutive days, as the great obstacles to overcome, although every day is susceptible to things happening.
On Wednesday, on the way to Boca de Huérgano, with more than 2,500 metres of accumulated difference in level, the runners will have to face the ascents chained to the Port of Las Señales (1683 m), the Port of Panderrueda (1,463 m) and the Port of Pandetrave (1,562); a very well planned stage that takes full advantage of the possibilities of the Valdeón Valley with 22 kilometres to the finish line.
The next day the race arrives at Puerto de Ancares. Or it comes back, since it had an end two editions ago. The colossus from Bierzo receives the race from Candín and Tejedo de Ancares and with the previous pass through the Alto de Lumeras. Ancares, by this slope, presents eight kilometers of ascent to an average close to 9% and many ramps of 15 and 16%. On Friday, before another very different format of climbs, a stage with shorter passes but also with a steeper average slope. Soto and Amio, Ariego and Rosales precede the final climb to Andarraso, 4.5 km to 9% with ramps of 17% and much of its hardness concentrated in its first three kilometers.
“We are really looking forward to the Vuelta a León”, says Sergio García from Cádiz. “We have prepared this race very well. After assimilating the efforts of the last Giro Baby the sensations are quite good. Of course we are going with the idea of doing our best, especially in those mountain stages he has”. “I really liked the third stage”, says Alessandro Fancellu; “I’ve seen the route and of course it’s a very, very hard route. I can’t wait to start competing”.
García and Fancellu are two of the members of a team made up of Carlos García, Álex Martín, Edu Pérez-Landaluce, Jhon Stiven Ramírez and Alejandro Ropero. The Granadino has just reached the final podium and achieved a stage in the recent Vuelta a Zamora. And the squad, in the framework of a great streak of results (several second positions in the Zamorano round, the Loinatz Proba de Beasain or even the route race of the U23 Nationals), stands out for its strength in the mountains. “The team is in a good moment, we arrived very motivated and some of these finals is really impressive, we hope to be able to do very well,” concludes Carlos Garcia.
The stages.
22nd July: Astorga – Astorga (2.66 km CRI).
23rd July: San Cristóbal de la Polantera – Veguellina (111.9 km).
24 July: Cármenes – Boca de Huérgano (153.1 km).
25 July: Toral de los Vados – Puerto de Ancares (135.2 km).
26 July: Molinaseca – Andarraso (138.4 km).
27 July: La Bañeza – Sahagún (123.4 km).
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
