Vuelta a Espana: The most important facts in brief
- Stage 20, Saturday, 7 September
- Villarcayo - Picon Blanco, 172 kilometres, mountain stage, 4730 vertical metres
- Official start: 1:06 pm
- Estimated arrival time: ~ 17:17 - 17:44
- TV broadcast: 12:30 - 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
- More about TV broadcast & live stream
Vuelta 2024: 20th stage - route, elevation profile and map
The penultimate day of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 is a tough one for the riders: a rollercoaster ride with 4730 metres of climbing - no other day of the Tour of Spain 2024 has more. The start is in Villarcayo, a municipality with 4000 inhabitants in the province of Burgos. To get there, the riders will face a two-hour car transfer after the 19th stage, which ends on the Alto de Moncalvillo.
The finish of the 20th stage is on the Picon Blanco. From Villarcayo, it is only around 20 kilometres directly to the summit, but on the penultimate day of the Vuelta a Espana 2024, two loops over six more mountain peaks will be completed beforehand. First up are two category 3 climbs: Las Estacas de Trueba (9.2 kilometres, 3.1 per cent average gradient) and the Puerto de La Braguia (5.8 kilometres, 5.9 per cent average gradient).
After its descent, the day's menu includes the Alto del Caracol (2nd category) - 10.8 kilometres with an average of 5.4 per cent. This is followed by the Portillo de Lunada, the first of three 1st category mountains. The road climbs there for 14 kilometres at an average of 6.1 per cent.
The pros then have eleven kilometres of descent to catch their breath before the Portillo de la Sia (2nd category) stands in their way - 7.2 kilometres, 6.1 per cent average gradient.
After a descent of more than 20 kilometres, it's time for the grand finale with two first-category climbs. First the Puerto de Los Tornos - 11.3 kilometres with an average gradient of six per cent and then the final climb up to Picon Blanco: 7.9 kilometres await with an average gradient of 9.1 per cent. The steepest ramps of up to 18 per cent are reached between kilometres three and four of the climb.
Sporting assessment of the 20th stage
The big finish at the Vuelta a Espana 2024. 172 kilometres without a single flat metre. On paper, the 20th stage is the day with the most metres of elevation gain and therefore the queen stage - only the ninth section towards Granada comes close to the 20th stage with 4370 metres of elevation gain and has already delivered a great spectacle. The penultimate day was in no way inferior.
The classification riders will determine the action on the road to Picon Blanco - even though Rein Taaramäe, a breakaway rider, prevailed in the only Vuelta arrival there in 2021 and the gaps between the favourites were not particularly large. Back then it was stage 3, this year it was stage 20. In 2021, the riders were still fresh at the start of the Tour, but this time it will largely be a matter of sporting survival in the peloton at the end of an incredibly tough Tour of Spain. After almost three weeks of cycling, the riders' fatigue will create such large gaps that the final time trial in Madrid on the last day will no longer be about big shifts in the overall standings.
Schedule, TV coverage & live stream of the 20th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
The neutral start will take place at 13:00, with kilometre 0 being reached around six minutes later. The finish is expected at 17:17 with an average speed of 41 km/h, 17:30 with 39 km/h and 17:44 with 37 km/h.
Eurosport will broadcast all stages of the Vuelta a Espana 2024. The 20th stage will be shown free-to-air on Eurosport 1 from 12:30 p.m.* Including post-event coverage, the broadcast will run until 6:00 p.m. A live stream on the internet is also available from the paid provider Discovery Plus.
* Transmission times are subject to change.
