Penultimate mountain stage in the battle for red

La Vuelta faces its penultimate mountain stage this Friday with 210 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas and 4,052 metres of climbing. The race starts at 12:07 CEST and is expected to finish at around 17:30, after a decisive final ascent of 18.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 6.5%.

The route becomes progressively harder through the Serranía de Ronda, with the Puerto de Las Abejas and Puerto del Viento before a descent back towards the Mediterranean. A breakaway could build an advantage in this central section, but the overall contenders are expected to decide the day on Peñas Blancas, where Richard Carapaz won in 2022.

Enric Mas starts in the red jersey with 1:37 over Primož Roglič and 3:01 over Felix Gall. Carapaz is fourth at 5:17 and Oscar Onley fifth at 6:03. Roglič and Gall need to attack, while Mas can defend his advantage, although Saturday's even tougher finish at Collado del Alguacil means the contenders must also manage their strength.