The first mountain stage in the 2024 Vuelta will take place on Tuesday, as the general classification contenders battle for the red jersey and precious seconds on the remote Pico Pitolero.

The 167-kilometer stage from Plasencia to Pico Pitolero is the first stage on Spanish soil and becomes challenging right from the start, as the riders must tackle the Puerto de Cabezabellosa, a second-category climb. After a short descent, the next climb immediately follows: the first-category Alto de Piornal. An early breakaway could gain significant time on the peloton here.

The middle section of the stage is relatively calm. As the race approaches the finale, the teams will have some space to reorganize, and the route enters the Extremadura region. In recent years, the ASO has increasingly discovered unknown climbs in this area, such as the Piornal in 2022 and the Pico Villuercas in 2021.

This year, Pico Pitolero makes its debut in the Vuelta. The mountain is 13.8 kilometers long with an average gradient of seven percent. While that may sound like a typical climb, the final stretch is brutal. In the last four kilometers, the gradient is almost always ten percent or more, and the road surface is rough concrete—a goat path. The maximum gradients even exceed twenty percent.

The final few hundred meters of the road descend slightly, but the damage will already have been done. After this stage, we will have a clear idea of the standings among the general classification riders. Will they go for the stage win right away, or will a breakaway prevail?