The premier cycling race in Spain will be passing through several expat hotspots along the Costa del Sol today, culminating with a helter skelter finale uphill in Estepona.
Stage 19 of La Vuelta a Espana – Spain’s equivalent of the Tour de France – covers 210.8km between Velez-Malaga and the summit of Penas Blancas at Estepona. It is one of the last major tests before Sunday, when the race reaches Granada.
The riders are expected to finish the stage around 5.30pm. However, this can change depending on the speed of the stage.
The peloton is expected to sweep along the coast, passing through Benajarafe around 12.12pm. Rincon de la Victoria will be at 12.22pm. La Cala del Moral should be at 12.28pm.
After El Palo, the riders will enter central Malaga around 12.42pm.
The route then turns inland and heads towards Cartama. The first ascent is scheduled to begin at around 1.53pm.
The riders will take on the second category Puerto de las Abajez. They will pass through Yunquera around 2.16pm before reaching the summit at about 8pm.
The peloton will soon be able to feel the thighs of the peloton as they climb the Puerto del Viento. This climb is a second-category climb.
Then, the plane will descend to the coast and arrive at San Pedro Alcantara around 4.13pm.
Around 4.33pm the peloton will head to Estepona, where they will face the brutal climb of the first category up Penas Blancas.
The last ascent is 18.7km long. Riders are expected to finish the stage around 5.30pm.
The authorities have warned that the roads will be closed before the cyclists arrive and not just after they pass.
Traffic restrictions in Malaga began at 11:20am. In Ronda, the ring road is closed between 30 minutes and 60 before the arrival of peloton.
On the Costa del Sol the A-7 is closed during rush hour. Traffic in Estepona will be severely restricted from 1.30pm to 6.30pm.
Enric Mas of Movistar, a Mallorcan, holds the red shirt at the top general classification. He is one minute and 37 second ahead of Primoz Rodlic, his nearest competitor.
Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.