Vuelta a Espana: The most important facts in brief
- Stage 17, Wednesday, 4 September
- Arnuero - Santander, 141.5 kilometres, low mountain range, 2164 vertical metres
- Official start: 2:18 pm
- Estimated arrival time: ~ 17:22 - 17:40
- TV broadcast: 14:30 - 18:00 Eurosport 1
- Live stream: Discovery Plus (subject to a charge)
- All stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 at a glance
- The start list
Vuelta 2024: 17th stage - route, elevation profile and map
After the difficult 16th stage with two 1st category mountain classifications and a "Categoria especial" finish, the 17th stage of the Vuelta is more relaxed for the classification riders. Only two 2nd category mountain classifications await the riders, both of which are to be tackled in the first half of the race.
The 16th stage ends at the Lagos de Covadonga in Asturias, while the 17th stage starts around two and a half hours' drive further east in the Cantabrian town of Arnuero - at the Monumento Juan del Castillo to be precise. From there, the route first heads west to the Atlantic coast before looping south into the interior of the country. There, the two mountain classifications Alto de La Estranguada and Alto del Caracol await. The route then heads back north on mostly flat terrain, where the race ends in the capital of Cantabria: the coastal city of Santander.
The stage finale is mostly flat. Although there are always small bumps before the finish, these should be easy for the riders in the peloton to master. In Santander itself, one or two bends await the riders, which is why caution will be required.
Sporting assessment of the 17th stage
Shortly after the start of the race, there is the first small ramp where breakaways could immediately break away. If this doesn't happen, stage hunters will have the chance to break away from the peloton on the 2nd category climbs. Although one or two pure sprinters could have problems on the climbs, the peloton should still be able to control the breakaway's advantage due to the flat second half of the race. Many sprinters should be able to keep up with the peloton. A bunch sprint is the most likely race scenario. It could be the last chance for the fast men at the 2024 Vuelta.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
The neutral start will take place at 14:10. Around 8 minutes later, kilometre 0 should be reached. The finish is expected at 17:22 with an average speed of 46 km/h, 17:30 with 44 km/h and 17:40 with 42 km/h.
Eurosport will broadcast all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024. The 17th stage will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 14:30.* Including post-event coverage, the broadcast will run until 18:00. A live stream on the internet is also available from the paid provider Discovery Plus.
* Transmission times are subject to change.
