The Great Battle on Peña Cabarga

The day after a rest day is always hard; finding the racing rhythm again never comes easily. All the more so when the stage is crowned with a summit finish on a climb like Peña Cabarga!

Peña Cabarga (Cantabria, Spain) – category 1, 565 meters above sea level, 5.6 kilometers long, average gradient 9.8% (max. 18%); full stage distance 168.6 kilometers;

Yesterday’s ascent was only the fifth in Vuelta history. It has mostly been on the route since 2010, when the Spaniards’ beloved Purito (Joaquim Rodríguez) celebrated victory here. In 2013 the great Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka won, and back in distant 1979 it was Spaniard Ángel López del Álamo.

But Peña Cabarga will truly go down in history as Froome’s climb: it was right here, in 2011, that Chris took one of his first major victories, and right here that the cycling world got to know him.

კრისტოფერ ფრუმი, 2011 წლის 7 სექტემბერი, ვუელტას მე–17 ეტაპი, პიენა კაბარგა

Of course everyone was eagerly awaiting the stage, and every expectation was met: the final climb will go down in history as one of the fiercest duels between the greats.

And yet it might not have happened at all, had it not been for Tinkoff’s work in keeping the breakaway on a short leash. When the breakaway’s lead started growing fast and it became clear that Movistar was happy to let the race split in two, Tinkoff took charge of the peloton and brought the group to the foot of the main climb with the stage still up for grabs. That wasn’t the only reason for their pace, of course: by keeping their rivals at an extreme tempo, Tinkoff was also wearing down their legs and raising the chance of echelons forming on the windy sections.

31 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 11 : Colunga – Pena Cabarga
Peloton at Pena Cabarga
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

So, thanks to Tinkoff, the big names arrived at Peña Cabarga with a real chance of winning the stage, and the climb began.

The main events unfolded over the last two kilometers. 1,800 meters from the finish Juan Esteban Chaves attacked; his move was so sharp that he easily opened a gap, which reached almost 15 seconds at the final-kilometer marker.

31 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 11 : Colunga – Pena Cabarga
CHAVES Johan Esteban (COL) Orica – BikeExchange, at Pena Cabarga
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

The leaders passed the marker led by Leopold König; later Alejandro lifted the pace and Chavito’s lead began to shrink.

31 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 11 : Colunga – Pena Cabarga
VALVERDE Alejandro (ESP) Movistar, Leader of the Points Classification, at Pena Cabarga
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

Then came the captains’ turn. Nairo attacked, Froome followed him, and Alberto too, with a delay. I think Leopold’s move at that moment got in Contador’s way; he did close the gap, but that effort was an unplanned expense which proved decisive for him.

31 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 11 : Colunga – Pena Cabarga
QUINTANA Nairo Alexander (COL) Movistar, Leader of the General Classification
CONTADOR Alberto (ESP) Tinkoff
KONIG Leopold (CZE) Sky, at Pena Cabarga
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

With only 600 meters to go, Nairo and Christopher caught and passed Juan Esteban. Then it was Froome’s turn: he raised the pace but couldn’t shake off Quintana, and so the pair approached the 150-meter mark together, where Froome attacked again, this time out of the saddle. This attack proved decisive. Froome beat his direct rival for the stage head-to-head.

31 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 11 : Colunga – Pena Cabarga
1st : FROOME Christopher (GBR) Sky
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

As he said after the stage, winning two Grand Tours in one season is a big challenge, and his tactics will depend on how things stand on the day. It must be said that there were no big losses on the stage; the main contenders all finished within 30 seconds of each other.

Today’s stage takes two laps around Bilbao, with two ascents of Alto El Vivero and a finish after the descent. The breakaway will have a big chance, but this is a Grand Tour, and on any stretch of it we should be ready for something special!

Featured image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

Inside post thumbnail image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

Special thanks to the Japanese photographer Yuzuru SUNADA for permission to use his works in our publications.

Translated from Georgian with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic), reviewed by the Velorbola editors.