The 21-year-old Czech rider took the challenge to the sprinters at the end of a flat 177-kilometer run from Fuente del Maestre to Seville "It's unbelievable," Bittner told Eurosport one of the best long sprinters in the world Primoz Roglic remains in the leader's red jersey as he seeks a record-equaling fourth Vuelta title Van Aert is in green as the sprinter with the most points who won the first mountain stage on Tuesday leads Joao Almeida by eight seconds overall The peloton heads back into the mountains on Thursday for Stage 6 which features four categorized climbs along the 185.5-kilometer route between Jerez de la Frontera and Yunquera FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action. Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions Get the most important Cycling stories delivered straight to your inbox Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Pavel Bittner nips Wout van Aert at the line as Kaden Groves takes third place Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 5 of the Vuelta a España Today's stage is set to start in around 45 minutes Yesterday's stage 4 brought the first summit finish of the Vuelta and with it a win for Primož Roglič Vuelta a España: Primož Roglič wins stage 4 to seize race lead A look at the stage 4 result and the GC picture Vuelta a España 2024 stage 5 preview - Sprinters take aim at Sevilla Just under quarter of an hour to the stage start There will be 7.7km of the neutral zone before the flag drops The riders have passed through quickly and now racing is underway Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ibon Ruiz (Kern Pharma) are on the move There are no climbs on today's stage and little chance of a break lasting to the finish so it's not a massive battle to get into the breakaway Juaristi and Ruiz have a minute on the peloton already No other riders have joined them in the move Lotto-Dstny are taking control of the peloton for now The peloton out on the route south from Extremadura to Andalucía today Slovenian lays down early marker at Pico Villuercas while João Almeida looks increasingly like UAE’s leader Alpecin-Deceuninck also working at the front of the peloton at the moment but Edvald Boasson Hagen has today announced that he'll be retiring at the end of the season 'There is a time for everything' – Edvald Boasson Hagen to retire at the end of the season Vuelta leader Primož Roglič in the peloton Vuelta a España tech gallery - Superlight paint, dinosaur names, and aero computer shrouds The first road stage of the Vuelta offered up some striking tech snippets Visma-Lease A Bike among the teams working up front in the peloton Alpecin-Deceuninck and Bahrain Victorious also up there 'I know it will be a big change' - Alex Aranburu swaps Movistar for Cofidis Spanish champion latest new arrival at Cofidis after Buchmann Not much change in the overall situation yet as the riders race towards the 100km to go mark One of the many cooling measures employed out on the road today Defending Vuelta a España champion Sepp Kuss determined to battle on despite first summit finish time loss US rider cedes 28 seconds on daunting Pico Villuercas climb Just under three minutes for the break now with the gap coming down slightly Around 55km to go until the riders reach the day's intermediate sprint Here's what stage 3 winner Wout van Aert had to say about today's stage.. "It's definitely a stage I have my eyes on so we want to go for it again The first two sprints were both slightly uphill so the long straight and completely flat will bring on more speed "I have the [green] jersey on my shoulder and so far it’s quite a battle with Kaden Groves and I think today normally that will continue Still three minutes between break and peloton ‘That was kind of stupid’ - Lennert Van Eetvelt regrets arm gesture that cost him Vuelta a España stage win 23-year-old Belgian looking to become the revelation of 2024 Vuelta saying 'I came here for the GC and this is good confirmation of my condition' It's still Alpecin-Deceuninck up front in the peloton along with Visma-Lease A Bike 'It was very hot and I got into a zone of desperation' - Richard Carapaz explains summit struggle at Vuelta a España Ecuadorian loses 1:29 to stage winner Primož Roglič on Pico Villuercas It's the biggest uphill of the day but the riders will soon be heading on a gradual downhill to the flat run to the line Here's what stage 2 winner Kaden Groves had to say about today's stage.. "Today is more of a pure bunch sprint so I think the fastest will win We’ll see also more sprinters from the other teams We focus more on the sprint so there will be a lot of eyes towards us I believe at least with corners it's a lot more actually straightforward of where you need to be in terms of positioning so today's finale is really quite difficult because timing is super important obviously It's a finish where you can sit back and we go as one with the team but you really can’t be too early." The peloton is over the climb and down the other side and now things are speeding up at the front.  The gap to the front has come way down to just 50 seconds now The break's advantage is only coming down more and more Around 15km to go until the riders hit the intermediate sprint EF and Red Bull among the teams leading the charge Juaristi and Ruiz shake hands with their time out front almost at an end Breakaway over and the peloton is all together again A mix of teams up front as the peloton races towards the intermediate sprint Louis Vervaeke stops to get a rear wheel change Kaden Groves and Wout van Aert burst out of the peloton in the final metres before the line It was a very close one but it looks like Groves just about edged that sprint Ibon Ruiz wins the combativity prize today All together again now after that brief sprint burst Groves took 20 points to Van Aert's 17 at that sprint The Belgian now holds the green jersey lead by 128 points to the Australian's 125 GC teams mixing it with the sprint squads pushing a high pace up front Still all together as the riders pull a 180 around a roundabout A crash in the peloton and two EF riders go down at the front of the group A mix of other teams also up there with Bahrain Rui Costa still hasn't got going again yet A left-hander coming up now and then a long straight down to a 180 turn back onto the finishing straight Bahrain Victorious joined up front by Victor Campenaerts Just the sharp right-hand hairpin – made up of two right-hand turns – left for the peloton The riders take on that sharp two-part bend and now they're onto the final straight Mikel Landa stops with a puncture inside the final 3km Red Bull peel off and now Alpecin-Deceuninck move up Van Aert battles against Pavel Bittner in the dash for the line It looks like Groves got boxed in as Van Aert jumped The camera zoomed out as the sprinters closed in on the line so who knows who won.. Groves was caught napping in that sprint as Van Aert launched early He was stuck behind Van Aert and Bittner as the pair duelled over the win Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) has been declared as the winner of stage 5 Groves beat Coquard and Stefan Küng to round out the podium 21-year-old Pavel Bittner wins a stage on his Grand Tour debut The shot of the sprint for the line with Bittner coming out on top Bittner only took his first professional wins earlier this month with two stages at the Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta a España: Pavel Bittner swipes stage 5 victory ahead of Van Aert and Groves Successful bike throw gives edge to young Czechia rider in Seville Van Aert finishing ahead of Groves at the finish means he extends his green jersey lead The Vuelta's GC standings remain the same Primož Roglič continues in the red jersey tonight We'll have more news coming in from the race this evening while tomorrow we'll be back with more live coverage from stage 6 Where does the 79th Vuelta a España 2024 lead and how difficult are the individual stages One thing in advance: The roadbook of the 2024 Spanish tour includes two individual time trials the last Grand Tour of the year covers 3,301.4 kilometers from Lisbon to Madrid The 2024 Vuelta a España kicks off with an individual time trial in Portugal The riders will tackle a flat 12-kilometre route from the capital The second longest stage of the Vuelta spans 194 kilometres and might favour the sprinters at the finish in Ourém The main challenge for the fast riders and their teams is a fourth-category climb about 20 kilometres from the finish This could provide an opportunity for the puncheurs to launch an attack The final of the three stages in Portugal spans 191 kilometres from Lousã to Castello Branco The first three-quarters of the route are hilly and mountainous including a second-category and a fourth-category climb with the last 40 kilometres being mostly flat The first mountain stage of the Vuelta a España concludes at an altitude of 1,549 metres in the Extremadura mountains The finish line is at Pico de Villuercas (category one) the peloton will tackle the Puerto del Cabezabellosa (category two) and the Alto de Piornal (category one) offer a prime opportunity for strong climbers to break away and create tactical options for the GC contenders in the finale The final three kilometres of the ascent to Pico de Villuercas feature concrete ramps with gradients between 15 and 16 percent there are no climbs listed on the fifth stage but over two-thirds of the route is undulating This offers a good chance for a breakaway group to go “full gas” from the start and distance themselves from the peloton the general classification should be clearer so the breakaway riders will mainly need to watch out for the sprinter teams This brings up questions about team strategies and true interests In the second mountain stage of this edition the riders in Andalusia will face the main challenge after just 70 kilometres the riders will need to conquer four category three climbs before the finish The stage concludes at the summit of the Alto de las Abejas in Yunquera The 185.5-kilometre journey through southern Spain could also favour breakaway riders The seventh stage takes the riders through the province of Córdoba on a rather unconventional route The finish town of Córdoba is reached after 139 kilometres of undulating The route includes a loop around the provincial capital with a category two climb known as the “Alto del 14%” in the roadbook This climb is designed to thin out the main field before the finish at 179 kilometres The mountain ranges of Jaén province will define this stage which is expected to end in a mountain sprint in Cazorla will be the day’s toughest challenge The climb to the third of the nine mountain finishes in this Vuelta is five kilometres long with moderate gradients and is unlikely to significantly affect the overall standings The first “week” of the Vuelta a España concludes with a challenging mountain stage through the Sierra Nevada the riders will first tackle the 1,498-metre-high El Purche This is followed by the double ascent of Alto de Hazallanas (also a first-category climb) before a descent of approximately 50 kilometres from 1,675 metres down to Granada the 10th stage takes the riders through the mountains of Galicia These mountains are not particularly high – well below 1,000 metres but the climbs almost always start at sea level the riders will test themselves on the Alto de Fonfria (category one) to see who has recovered well or poorly from the rest day The route then flattens out before a trio of climbs towards the end likely initiates an elimination race a significantly reduced peloton is expected to contest the victory takes place around the Galician town of Padrón and spans 166.4 kilometres The terrain is perfect for breakaways or a tactical masterclass by a team with a GC leader similar to the 2022 Giro stage around Turin Three second-category climbs make it hard to control the race in the first two-thirds before the route tackles the Puerto Cruxeiras (category three) just eight kilometres from the finish The shortest road stage of this Vuelta a España spans just 137.4 kilometres and concludes with a challenging mountain finish at the Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda generally climbing until reaching 740 metres at kilometre 117 where the 16-kilometre ascent to the finish at Montana de Manzaneda begins This stage in the second week of racing is expected to be crucial for the overall standings In the second week of the 2024 Vuelta a España mountain finishes seem to come one after another Before the riders tackle the steep slopes of the Ancares mountain pass in the finale they must first climb the Alto Campo de Arbre (category three) and Puerto de Lumeras (both category two climbs) The final climb is 7.7 kilometres long with an average gradient of 9 percent and ramps of 15 percent The ascent becomes particularly brutal in the last five kilometres won the 20th stage of the 2014 Vuelta ahead of Chris Froome The longest stage of the 2024 Vuelta spans 200.4 kilometres from Villafranca del Bierzo to Villablino The main challenge in the finale will be the 23-kilometre climb to Puerto de Leitariegos there will still be 16 kilometres left to make up any lost ground before the finish It’s likely that the GC leaders and their teams will allow the breakaway riders to go free today to conserve energy only controlling the field on the final climb of the day the peloton will face another high-altitude challenge in Asturias The stage concludes with a mountain finish at Cuitu Negru in the Pajares ski resort the riders must tackle the Colladiella (category one) twice and Santo Emiliano (category three) once the ascent to the “Asturian Colossus” begins The road winds upwards for 19 kilometres in an irregular rhythm with ramps of up to 23 percent gradient to overcome this is only the second time the Vuelta has visited this formidable climb a stage of the Vuelta a España will finish at Lagos de Covadonga This is one of the race’s most iconic and famous finales the riders must climb two first-category ascents It’s quite possible that a strong group of GC contenders will break away on the Llomena and battle for the stage win on the final climb the mountain finish at Lagos de Covadonga is the only Especiale climb of this Vuelta – equivalent to the Hors Categorie at the Tour de France If they can manage the two second-category climbs in the middle of the stage and their teams can catch the breakaway on the remaining flat sections we could see a royal sprint finish in Santander after 141.5 kilometres This hilly mid-mountain stage takes the riders from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Maeztu through the Basque Country It’s perfect for an early breakaway group A second-category climb and the Puerto Herrera will make it tough for the sprinters and their teams to keep the peloton together and to control and catch the breakaway The penultimate mountain finish of this Vuelta a España will conclude after 173.2 kilometres at Alto de Moncalvillo The Puerto de Pradilla at kilometre 89.2 serves as a warm-up for the mountain finale which begins about eight kilometres from the summit The climb to Alto de Moncalvillo starts gently but becomes much more demanding in the final kilometres Will the Vuelta a España 2024 be decided on the penultimate day as this 172-kilometre mountain stage includes seven passes and is almost never flat the riders will enter Cantabrian territory and tackle several climbs before returning to the province of Burgos via the Portillo de Lunada (category one) The Portillo de la Sia (category two) could set the stage for the finale and the riders will reach the final climb via the Puerto de Los Tornos (category one) The final ascent to Picón Blanco is a 7.5-kilometre climb to the finish at 1,518 metres The 79th edition of the Vuelta a España concludes as it began: with an individual time trial The final battle against the clock takes place in Madrid over 24.6 kilometres With no significant technical or topographical challenges this stage is likely to favour the time trial specialists The outcome of this stage is unlikely to significantly affect the top positions in the overall standings Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon Aeroad CFR: The Bike Behind His Spring Classic Wins Mathieu van der Poels Cyclocross Calendar 2024/2025 Season Review 2024: Great Success of Team Alpecin-Deceuninck It was Bittner's first career win at a Grand Tour. Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) retained the points green jersey although he will rue a missed opportunity, as will Australia's Kaden Groves who was also looking for his second stage win of the race but had to settle for third place. Slovenia's Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) retained the overall lead after finishing safely in the peloton. After the climbs of the previous day, Wednesday's 177-km stage from Fuente del Maestre to Seville was flat in comparison but still lumpy in the first half and ridden in fierce heat. It was a day for a breakaway group and one duly materialised although when it was swallowed up with 38km still remaining everything boiled down to a bunch sprint through the Seville streets. Van Aert launched his attack early and seemed to have done enough but misjudged his lunge to the line and Bittner took advantage to win by the narrowest of margins. There was one casualty in the run-in as Portugal's Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost) was involved in a crash and was forced to abandon the race. The Vuelta returns to the mountains on Thursday with race favourite Roglic holding an eight-second lead over UAE Team Emirates rider Joao Almeida. Although RTVE's television coverage of this stage was able to present an impressive round-up of all the major tourist sights including the gorge in Ronda, the Real Maestranza bullring, the church of Santa Ana in Alozaina, the Pinsapar forest...), many fans turned out to stand in the heat of the asphalt roads that snaked between each place as the race did not go through urban centres. Some even came armed with beach brollies to protect themselves from the searing heat of a mid-August afternoon. Today (Friday 23 August) all the Vuelta participants will take to the stage once more in Malaga province. The ceremonial start will be at 1.10pm in Archidona, but the real start to this stage will be a quarter of an hour later along the A-782 towards Jédula. Shortly afterwards, the pack will enter the province of Cordoba and will finish in the provincial capital of the Mezquita after 180 kilometres of hard pedalling. Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Registered office Málaga, Avda. Dr. Marañón, 48. Groves to win Vuelta Stage 5Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) won his first stage on his Grand Tour debut after beating out the likes of Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in a tight bunch sprint.SEVILLE SPAIN - AUGUST 21: (L-R) Stefan Kung of Switzerland and Team Groupama-FDJ Kaden Groves of Australia and Team Alpecin Deceuninck stage winner Pavel Bittner of Czech Republic and Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL and Wout van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma | Lease a Bike - Green Points Jersey sprint at finish line during La Vuelta Stage 5 a 177km stage Fuente del Maestre to Seville / #UCIWT / on August 21 (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images) Credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images Stage 5 - Replay - La Vuelta a Espana 2024 Stage 5 - Daily Highlights - La Vuelta a Espana 2024 Stage 5 - Mini Stage - La Vuelta a Espana 2024 Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News Van Aert surely thought he had done enough to win the stage when he outfoxed Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) by launching his sprint from distance on the interminable finishing straight but he was surprised in the closing metres by Bittner who managed to get back on terms and then beat the Belgian in the final dive to the line on the banks of the Guadalquivir River Van Aert appeared to throw his bike a touch too early whereas Bittner’s sprint was perfectly executed The Czech had to wait a moment for confirmation from the photo finish but the image showed that he was a clear winner of his first Grand Tour stage only a few days ago I got my first pro win so to get the win at my first Vuelta I still don’t believe it,” said Bittner who had caught the eye with a brace of stage victories at the Vuelta a Burgos the whole team was very good and then to beat Wout in a long sprint… He’s one of the best long sprinters in the world Bittner is fairly adept at long sprints himself even if the second-year professional is reluctant to pigeonhole himself purely as a fast finisher “I don’t see myself as a sprinter “I told the guys today we could really do it Groves and Van Aert had split the previous two bunch sprints at this Vuelta and their duel was still perhaps the defining feature of this thunderous finale Alpecin-Deceuninck led out the sprint from 1.5km to go while Van Aert was content to park himself on Groves’ wheel Van Aert’s teammate Edoardo Affini moved up on Groves’ righthand side in the final 300m but that seemed to be almost a decoy move from Visma-Lease a Bike When Groves glanced over his right shoulder that was Van Aert’s cue to open his sprint Bittner was tracking him and the Czech produced a powerful finish to claim the spoils Van Aert had the consolation of extending his lead in the points classification while Groves had to settle for third on the stage ahead of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) which was quite early,” Van Aert said In the heat of the moment easy to make a mistake Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished safely in the main peloton to retain the red jersey of race leader The Slovenian remains eight seconds clear of João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and 32 seconds ahead of Enric Mas (Movistar) in the overall standings The soaring temperatures have been one of the primary talking points on this Vuelta and the conditions have had a dampening effect on the racing which brought the race south into Andalusia and there was an understandably subdued feel to the early exchanges here Early escapees Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ibon Ruiz (Kern Pharma) escaped with little resistance from the peloton which was content to allow them amass a lead of more than three minutes before they were gradually reeled back in I don’t know what’s easier to go slow and be exposed to the heat or to faster and have a bit more of a breeze,” Roglič said afterwards The pace eventually ratcheted upwards as the race drew closer to Seville aided by the vague threat of echelons in the final hour Juaristi and Ruiz were caught with a shade under 40km to go while Groves beat Van Aert to the intermediate sprint with 25km remaining “It seems like we are the only ones competing for the intermediate sprints,” Van Aert said The wide roads on the run-in didn’t make the finale any less fraught and Rui Costa was forced to abandon the Vuelta after he came down in a crash with his EF Education-EasyPost teammate Owain Doull Roglič and his Red Bull guard were prominent at the head of the peloton until they had reached the sanctuary of the 3km to go banner the sprinters’ teams took up the reins and Alpecin-Deceuninck set out their intentions when they hit the front with 1.5km remaining and the youngster delivered a fine sprint to claim the spoils in the shadow of the Maestranza bullring Results powered by FirstCycling Slovenian champion happy to repeat strategy of 2021 Vuelta a España “Wanted: one temporary Vuelta a España leader Applicants must not have long-term GC aspirations and will need to get in at least one breakaway For real-life job descriptions see the Vuelta 2021 Live interviews to start from stage 6 onwards.” This fake job application could well have been posted by Vuelta a España leader Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) after stage 5 of this year's race when the three-time winner confirmed that when it came to ‘loaning’ la roja to a non-GC threat Roglič turned in a blistering climbing performance on stage 4 to Pico Villuercas clinching his 13th stage win and recovering the overall lead of the Vuelta for the first time since he held it for a day in the race in 2022 But as the Slovenian confirmed after stage 5 when asked if passing on the leader’s jersey for a spell to ease the pressure on himself and his team was something he’d considered - prior to regaining it in the latter part of the race - Roglič confirmed that was the case “It [loaning out the lead] is definitely an option But it’s definitely an option for tomorrow,” Roglič said Stage 6 was the first opportunity this could happen and certainly the tricky but not overly-challenging terrain into the Sierras of Cadiz looks ideal for the first breakaway of the 2024 Vuelta to make it to the finish in Yunquera “I don’t really know what the stage is like they say it’s harder than today [stage 5] But it’s definitely a good chance for the breakaway.” Roglič had used this particular strategy in the Vuelta a España previously both times en route to his third Vuelta overall win in 2021 After winning the opening TT and holding the lead for two days in the first week he then passed it on to Picon Blanco stage winner Rein Taaramae The jersey then returned to Roglič for two more stages before he ‘loaned’ it out again where Roglič broke away with Ineos Grenadiers leader Egan Bernal and which will also be tackled on stage 16 in this year’s race the 2021 Vuelta a España lead was regained by the Slovenian for good.  It remains to be seen whether a similar strategy would prove so effective in 2024 Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991 He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain he has also written for The Independent,  The Guardian,  ProCycling Primoz Roglic proved he has fully recovered from his Tour de France-ending crash with Stage 4 victory in the Vuelta a España 2024 on Tuesday The three-time Vuelta winner triumphed atop the daunting closing climb to Pico Villuercas to stake his claim for a record-equaling fourth success in one of cycling's three Grand Tours ably supported by his Red Bull-Hansgrohe teammates reeled in a two-man breakaway up the grueling 14.6-kilometer ascent with a gradient of 16% over the final five kilometers Roglic was rewarded for his endeavor by taking over the race leader's red jersey He leads the UAE team's Joao Almeida by eight seconds in the general classification In a desperate scramble for the line Lennert Van Eetvelt had his arm raised in victory so I just enjoy it," said the day's winner who was forced out of last month's Tour de France before the 13th stage I'm just happy today with how the team worked and that I could finish it off at the end." Plenty of title contenders were left scattered down the mountainside in their wake as Roglic made a clear statement of intent about his chances of adding to his Vuelta wins in 2019 2020 and 2021 to equal Roberto Heras as the race's most successful rider The race was entering Spain for the first time after three days in Portugal with this 170.5-kilometer ride from Plasencia to Pico Villuercas in the Extremadura region Wednesday's Stage 5 will be easier on the legs with a less demanding 170-kilometer ride That could give Wout van Aert hope of adding to his red jersey-clinching Stage 3 win after trailing in 26 minutes adrift in the mountains Riders like Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) sought lots of hydration from team staff and any shade they could find at the finish of stage 4 Robert Gesink and Steven Kruijswijk share bottles with Visma-Lease a Bike Teammates during La Vuelta's hot stage 5 Harsh weather sparks calls for future changes in race formats Very hot weather has almost always formed part of the Vuelta a España whenever it ventures into the southern half of the country there’s been no let up to date in the heat Temperatures so far have peaked at around 40°C on stage 4 maximums have rarely dropped out of the mid-30s On stage 5 temperatures dipped slightly to around a high of 37°C at the finish in Seville But that wasn’t enough to stop the effects of the heatwave on the peloton which made its way at a notably subdued pace across the rolling plateaus of south-west Spain for most of the day Riders wearing ice jackets at the start and finish were once a rare sight but are now all but normal at Vuelta salidas tucked away discretely inside team vehicles for a quick post-stage dip it’s not just about soigneurs being placed at increasingly shorter intervals to hand out bidons to ever-thirsty riders with hoses placed on the side of the road - mostly set to spray rather than send out a potentially dangerous more powerful single jet of water -   periodically drenching the riders It’s important to emphasise that heat is nothing new in the Vuelta a España Fabian Cancellara claimed he’d lost 4.5 kilos in a single stage in searing heat in the south of Spain at the Grand Tour the practice of putting a lettuce leaf under a race cap because of the plants’ alleged benefits at lowering body temperatures (and back when helmets were not obligatory) were common amongst certain groups of pro riders in the Vuelta as well But as temperatures have steadily risen across the globe those homespun methods of cooling down like the lettuce leaves have wilted away while practices to combat the heat have become steadily more professional and more widespread.  On stage 4 of the 2024 Vuelta a España it seemed like a new spike in activity to fight the heat was reached “The team has never given out so much water as on stage 4,” experienced EF Education-EasyPost Sports Director Tom Southam told Cyclingnews “We had eight people on the sides of the roads we were constantly going up and down giving out bidons and ice not to individual riders but for riders to take up to everyone else Then we were constantly refilling the cars with more supplies meant there were two early climbs that got everybody hot and you didn’t have much shade there to start with But then you went into the middle of the stage which was a real cauldron Then in the final there was a climb - no shade a plateau - and then the final climb with cement surfaces for a lot of it “So it wasn’t like you hit a descent at any point to cool down before you went up the last mountain And you couldn’t race hard all day because it was so hot You were stuck out there all day in the heat and that’s why we were behind schedule at the finish.” Heat adaption strategies like putting on more clothes at training camp or simply getting on the rollers in a greenhouse with a heater at full blast Bradley Wiggins was one frontrunner of such a strategy training in his garden shed with a heater to imitate the Spanish weather prior to the 2011 Vuelta these strategies have become much more formalized and frequent but it’s becoming more applicable to society now because the planet is getting so fucking hot" “I was reading the other day that without our adaption [in everyday life] to heat in the last 20 years x-amount more people would be dying from the effects of the higher temperatures when the peloton moves 1,000 kilometres north to Vigo and northern Spain where temperatures are currently running at around 20°C nearly 15-20 degrees cooler than in the south according to Spanish state weather researchers Aemet temperatures are forecast for 34°C in Yunqera’s stage finish on Thursday 36°C for Cazorla on Saturday and 35°C at the end of a stage in Granada on Sunday which also includes three major mountain passes Asked how this incessant heat was affecting the racing UAE Team Director Joxean Fernandez Matxin had a clear answer It’s 36 degrees and it’s the morning and you’re feeling hot already aren’t you?” he rhetorically asked Cyclingnews before stage 5 “Imagine what it’d be like with 43 degrees in the middle of the afternoon with no breeze and riding on the bike for six hours," he continued “Not everybody handles that kind of temperature well I don’t think I’ve ever handed out so many bidons of water “We had to put water for the showers in the fridge beforehand to cool it down We’ve being buying ice in gas stations with a refrigerated truck you dehydrate even more because you don’t eat as much So your body doesn’t assimilate the heat as well.” “Normally you go through so many feed zones where the riders say 'I couldn’t get the musette because of this or that' or whatever excuse Yesterday there wasn’t a single missed musette…” the usual protocol of keeping EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz protected from the heat was intensified.  “We’ve got Richie as our leader ‘OK what does Richie need to be ready for the final climb at this point and that point' share it out.” In the hotter weather because they have a following car close by so they can top up easily on water But for the GC riders like Carapaz or his own racer Adam Yates Maxtin points out it was much harder to know what the real effects of a climb had been on them Such is the heat that the high temperature distorts riders’ performances it’s much trickier to know which riders were genuinely showing good or poor condition There are people who handle the heat better and who just need a shower to recover others who suffer a whole lot more and who don’t recover even if they rehydrate fully “There were a lot of riders who suffered on stage 4 not just [UAE Team Emirates co-leader] Adam Yates Lots of them couldn’t handle the pace even before the last main climb of the day.” As for whether action should be taken by the organisers to try and lessen the effects of the heat “I’m super curious as to why there’s no activity about this in terms of extreme weather".  we had some 40-plus degree days and everybody was ‘Let’s make the race shorter let’s do this or let’s do that' Here I was talking to the riders after the stage and nobody says anything." When the late climbing legend Federico Martin Bahamontes was the director of the Vuelta a Toledo an amateur race which folded a few years back the entire event was held in the mornings precisely to avoid the heat of central Castille.  Matxin argues that the increasingly high temperatures should cause race organisers to reflect on how to design their events We should minimize the number of hours in extreme heat it won’t be until somebody suffers some kind of heat stroke and gets carried off in an ambulance “But I hope this gets sorted out before Because racing for so many hours through places where it was 43 degrees - I don't think that is healthy for anybody.” Sepp Kuss looks to defend his Vuelta a España crown as the third leg of cycling’s Grand Tour begins in Portugal on Aug The grueling 3,330KM race comes less than a month after some riders finished the Tour de France in late July but Kuss missed that prestigious race for team Jumbo-Visma after testing positive for COVID-19.  Now Kuss will be one of the favorites in the race that he dramatically won in 2023. The course starts in Lisbon and weaves through both countries before finishing in Madrid Here’s the complete schedule for the 2024 Vuelta a España Here’s the schedule all times EST.   The 2024 Vuelta a España is streaming live in Canada on FloBikes and the FloSports app highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms.  The Vuelta a España is on the NBC Networks and streaming on the NBC Peacock app.  Spanish squad send team bus 600km south to save the day for Belgian team on stage 5 As a result, the team – rebranded for this Vuelta to T Rex-QuickStep – had to ask locals in the start town of Plasencia to accommodate them as they prepared for the race's first mountain stage Landismo is alive at #LaVuelta24 😁A big thanks to @BurgosBH for helping us with the bus 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ACeamfQ4oTAugust 21, 2024 The last-minute change of plans didn't affect the Belgian squad too badly on the day, with team leader Mikel Landa racing to seventh overall on the Pico Villuercas on the same time as stage winner Primož Roglič On stage 5's sprint to Seville, they were again forced to compromise with the team bus still out of action. Luckily, Spanish squad Burgos-BH – non-invitees at the Vuelta for the first time since 2017 – were on hand to help currently in action at the Tour Poitou-Charentes loaning Soudal-QuickStep one of their team buses on Wednesday The Spanish squad's bus driver David was called back from holiday to help With the team's base located near Burgos in northern Spain 600km trip down to the stage 5 start town of Fuente del Maestre in Extremadura "I was in France on holiday with my family and I was called," he explained to Marca "Soudal-QuickStep had a problem with their bus and I returned to Burgos at dawn I drove in the morning from Burgos and reached the start." Burgos-BH posted a message on social media Best of luck in La Vuelta and enjoy our home race" while several Soudal-QuickStep riders thanked the team for helping out Thank you so much for the help with the bus It's been a lifesaver for us here in the heat of the Vuelta Cheers," said Danish rider Kasper Asgreen in a video the team posted on social media ¡ Gracias, @BurgosBH !#LaVuelta24 pic.twitter.com/S8NcEIBrBiAugust 21, 2024 Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense Van Aert looked poised to claim his second stage of this year’s race in a fast finish in Seville but the 21-year-old Bittner (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) edged out the Belgian on the line with a well-timed bike throw for his first career win at a Grand Tour. Read moreVan Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) retained the points green jersey although he will rue the missed opportunity Australia’s Kaden Groves finished in third place while Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) retained the overall lead after finishing safely in the peloton the 177km stage from Fuente del Maestre to Seville was flat in comparison but still lumpy in the first half and ridden in fierce heat It looked to be a day for a breakaway and one duly materialised although when it was swallowed up with 38km remaining it boiled down to a bunch sprint through the streets of Seville Van Aert launched his attack early and seemed to have done enough but misjudged his lunge to the line and Bittner took advantage to win by the narrowest of margins There was one casualty in the run-in as Portugal’s Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost) was involved in a crash and was forced to abandon the race The Vuelta returns to the mountains on Thursday with the race favourite Roglic holding an 8sec lead over the UAE Team Emirates rider João Almeida 21-year-old takes just third career victory on Grand Tour debut came off the wheel of the Belgian on the flat run-in into Sevilla and timed his bike throw to win by a tyre's width after a long sprint His victory was confirmed by a photo-finish with Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crossing the line in third.  Bittner's win at the Vuelta comes just over a week after his first pro victories earlier this month when he won two stages of the Vuelta a Burgos.  "Only a few days ago I got my first pro win he's one of the best long sprinters in the world I really believe in myself.' When the opportunity opened I just opened my sprint and went full gas to the line."  The general classification remained unchanged following stage five with Primož Roglič (Visma-Lease a Bike) still leading by eight seconds ahead of João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates).  Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost) abandoned the race following a crash inside the final 10km.  "The easiest stage of the whole race," was how Van Aert described the day ahead of him at the sign-on podium in Fuente del Maestre Stage five was the only one billed as 'flat' by the race organisers The main challenge for the peloton would be the heat with temperatures edging on 40°C in southern Spain Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) was spotted eating a Calippo by the start line.  Two riders were brave enough to take up the breakaway under the sun Already two-time escapee at the race Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Phrama) was joined by first-timer Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) shortly after the flagdrop The pair lasted over 100km together through the sun-scorched fields on the approach to the stage's only intermediate sprint which was won by Groves ahead of Van Aert.  it was Groves's Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates who took charge of the pacing hoping to set up the Australian's second victory of this year's edition.  Bittner then edged over the Belgian's right shoulder with the finish gantry in sight before the two of them tossed their bikes in unison the Czech's wheel the first to cross the line.  Thursday's sixth stage of the Vuelta a España counts four categorised climbs en route to Yunquera in the province of Málaga.  Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 offering race analysis and rider interviews Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition Flat and fast finale set up for bunch sprint along Guadalquivir River Wednesday looks to be a day for the sprinters at the Vuelta a España as stage 5 rolls south into Andalusia for a flat finish in downtown Sevilla Temperatures pushed 40C degrees on Tuesday and the same heat will be present for the 170km from the start in Fuente del Maestre with a series of uncategorised rollers There is just one sprint bonification on the route at La Algaba Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have already distanced other riders in the green jersey competition by more than 70 points The bonus points at La Algaba also serve as a signal for the final 14.6km to the finish line where the two sprinters should be in the mix of a bunch rush for a stage win It could very well be a third time in just five days for Van Aert and Groves to go 1-2 for a third time at this Vuelta one of them riding away with a second stage win The peloton will have to negotiate a few sharp corners once in the city limits First is a roundabout at Avenue Portugal that swings away from the University of Sevilla and leads to a right-hand turn to Avenues de la Borbolla and Manuel Siurot to redirect the peloton to the final 3.5km.  The finale will follow the wide Avenue de la Palmera that goes through María Luisa Park and beside the Guadalquivir River The sprinters’ teams will have their work cut out to carry riders through the city streets to this point and then it should be a fast bunch barrage to the line The Vuelta hasn't been to Sevilla in 14 years In 2010 the Sevillian capital served as the host for the Grand Tour’s opening stage Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) became the first-ever wearer of the maillot rojo introduced that year in place of the golden jersey that had been awarded since 1999 Profile of stage 5 at the 2024 Vuelta a España(Image credit: Lavuelta) a sports marketing and public relations agency which managed projects for Tour de Georgia a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast) Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France) LISBON > OEIRAS | 12KM | INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL Ourense Termal > Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda Vitoria-Gasteiz > Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki Cuitu Negru and Picón Blanco star in typically mountainous route The sprinters of the pro peloton could be forgiven for feeling a little aggrieved about the end-of-season races this year The race directors of the major events have clearly opted not to design parcours suited to them The Olympic road race was too hilly for any pure fastman to take any of the limited starting places for their nations, and the World Championship route in Zurich is equally unfavourable. So what of the Vuelta a España relaxed stages for the sprinters to unleash their speed at the end five hilly stages (some of which have uphill finishes) and two time trials Never mind the big-name sprinters, even the majority of the second-rate sprinters who came out of the Tour de France empty-handed aren’t bothering with the final Grand Tour of the year but instead a 24.6km individual time trial It's fair to say that any sprinters flying to Spain this month probably won't have their bikes with them but will instead be taking an early holiday So expect a race for the climbers. This is a Vuelta for the lightweight mountain men who until now have been fighting for scraps in the wheeltracks of the unstoppable Tadej Pogačar Foreign starts at the Vuelta a España have become more familiar in the 27 years since Lisbon with Netherlands and France among the countries visited in that time This year the race returns to the Portuguese capital Whereas in 1997 the stage and first leader’s jersey of the race was decided by a bunch sprint in which Lars Michaelsen came out on top ahead of Claudio Chiappucci and Laurent Jalabert the first leader of the 2024 edition will be determined by a time trial This 12km route misses out Lisbon's seven hills and their famous tram system opting instead to follow the mouth of the Tagus river westwards until arriving at the finish at the well-to- do Oeiras a true specialist against the clock will be triumphant and even 12km is enough for lighter climbing specialists to lose valuable time Cascais is a wealthy beach resort famous for a casino that inspired the titular one James Bond frequents in Casino Royale Riders gambling by getting into the day’s break have better odds of surviving than is usual for breaks this early in a Grand Tour Their chances are assisted by terrain that as the riders make their way inland from the coastline of the Portuguese Riviera towards Ourém While the category-four Alto de Lagoa Azul that’s climbed immediately as the riders depart from Cascais should determine who gets into the break how the stage will unfold hinges mostly on what happens on the other categorised climb of the day Will it be too hard for some sprinters to stay in the peloton that deny the sprinters a bunch finish against the backdrop of Ourém’s hilltop castle the Vuelta takes place over more challenging terrain Serra da Estrela Natural Park is the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal a remote area where shepherds reside – their sheep are the source of the renowned local Serra da Estrela cheese It’s also the location of the nation’s highest point but today’s stage rises to less than half that The road undulates upon leaving the start in Lousã until entering Serra da Estrela and climbing the category-two Alto de Teixeira It then exits the national park and heads southwards to the finish in Castelo Branco but not before climbing the category-four Alto de Alpedrinha This flat run-in to the finish at Castelo is long enough for the peloton to organise and reel in a breakaway for a sprint If there's one thing the organisers of the Vuelta love and they’ve wasted no time in including one this year – on the very day the race first enters Spain with the category-two Puerto de Cabezabellosa and category-one Alto de Pironal (atop which Remco Evenepoel won a stage in 2022) tackled in the first third of this stage through Spain’s sparsely populated Extremadura region albeit followed by a flatter and then more rolling section prior to the finish at Pico de Villuercas.  Pico de Villuercas hosted a finish of the 2021 Vuelta won by Romain Bardet when all the GC favourites finished within 16 seconds of each other the riders will take the climb on from a different side via Navezuelas double-digit gradients coming in the second half – more than hard enough for the first GC sort-out of the race As the only road race of the entire Vuelta to have been labelled by the organisers as ‘flat’ today is an opportunity the sprinters can’t afford to miss the roads that take them southwards out of Extremadura and into Andalusia are better described as downhill with the riders starting the day nearly 500 metres high in Fuente del Maestre and for being the supposed birthplace of flamenco Sevilla is hosting a stage of the Vuelta for the first time since 2011 when HTC Colombia won a nocturnal team time trial under the lights with their leader Mark Cavendish taking the red jersey The last time Sevilla hosted a Vuelta road stage was in 1996 when Jeroen Blijlevens won a bunch sprint – another one is almost certain today Today's stage will be the first of four held exclusively in Andalusia Making the riders even more uncomfortable will be the testing terrain analogous to the Andalusian specialty of tapas in that though the riders will sample lots of them but neither of the following two last longer than 6km while the 9km length of the finishing effort to Alto de las Abejas is tempered by its mild A breakaway frequented by puncheurs is therefore likely to contest the stage though there might be some GC action on the final climb There is only one climb to be taken on during today’s trek northwards to the historic town of Córdoba but it alone might be enough to deny the sprinters Though the gradient may average out at less than 6% for the duration of its 7.4km the maximum slopes signified by the title of the ‘Alto del 14%’ will give explosive puncheurs a chance to break clear and try to survive the 25km from its summit to the finish This same climb was not enough to prevent a bunch sprint when it was used in 2021 and 2014 though it was a close-run thing on the former occasion And don’t discount the effect of the descent — the Liquigas-Cannondale team used it to launch a thrilling attack with five of their riders flying out of the peloton together in 2011 with Peter Sagan taking the stage and Vincenzo Nibali gaining seconds in his GC bid Setting off from the Renaissance city of Úbeda dry summer weather that makes the Jaén region the largest olive-producing area in the world could severely sap the riders’ reserves At least they won’t have to contend with any climbs for the first half of the stage although things get harder 98km into the stage when they’re confronted with the category-two Puerto Mirador de las Palomas It’s the final climb of the day to the finish in Cazorla that will determine the outcome of the stage the Sierra de Carola is a typical Vuelta finish even if it has only hosted a stage finish once before in 2015 when Esteban Chaves attacked 2km from the finish to take the stage and reclaim the red jersey from Tom Dumoulin There could be time gaps between the GC contenders From the start in a seaside town of Motril the Vuelta heads northwards over the Sierra Nevada for what is the first proper mountain test of the race It’s the way the day’s three category-one mountains are tackled in such quick succession from the onset of Puerto de El Purche 90km from the finish that sets it apart from the previous stages this week After El Purche comes a double ascent of the 7km Alto de Hazallanas which could cause carnage among the GC contenders the riders will descend to a finish in Granada rather than continuing to climb to the ski station summit of Sierra Nevada as they did in 2022 when Remco Evenepoel’s overall lead was put under serious pressure the climb’s extreme gradients of nearly 10% are enough to force the GC into a definitive shape at the end of the first week A long transfer takes the race to the other side of the country for the second week cooled by the air coming in from its Atlantic coastline but inland there are plenty of hills and rolling terrain Four hills have been included for stage 10 none rising above 800m but still posing some tough gradients that could favour stage-hunting puncheurs at the start to try and get into the break but it’s the category-one Alto de Mougás and its subsequent 20km downhill and flat to the finish in Baiona that will determine who will be victorious On both the previous occasions Padrón has hosted the start of a Vuelta stage it has been for time trials leading towards Santiago de Compostela – destination of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage Primož Roglič secured his third Vuelta overall victory with a stage win while in 1993 an ill Tony Rominger hung on to overall victory by 29 seconds Today's route will tackle several loops in and out of Padrón rather than enter Santiago de Compostela Four gentle climbs mean the same puncheurs who were in the mix yesterday could be again today with both the uphill and downhill of the Puerto Cruxeiras Ourense is another town on the Camino de Santiago but like yesterday the stage will again bypass the cathedral at the end of that pilgrimage this time heading eastwards rather than northwards It’s not a long trip – in fact it’s the shortest of the whole Vuelta but the undulating roads leading towards the foot of the final climb will make it a testing stage nevertheless Ignore the ‘hilly’ designation: the Estación de Montaña Manzaneda is very much a mountain but dragging on through exposed roads for 15km before finally reaching the summit at almost 1,500m It was enough to reduce the peloton to only 14 riders when it featured at the 2011 Vuelta with a young Chris Froome among those dropped handing the red jersey to his team-mate Bradley Wiggins Leaving Galicia and into Castille y León via a couple of hills stage 13 will end with a climb that was the final hurdle for Alberto Contador to overcome en route to overall victory in 2014 when he withstood multiple attacks from Chris Froome to defend the red jersey This year the riders will climb to the summit at Los Ancares via a different road officially the highest) summit finish so far with a game- changing average gradient of over 9% for 7.5km The fact that only four riders finished within 2.50 of Contador 10 years ago shows how big the differences among the GC contenders could be today – although two years prior it proved to be far less definitive as Contador failed to prise the red jersey from Joaquim Rodríguez only to ultimately succeed the following week but maybe less so than the harder mountain stages to come for the specific purpose of hosting the Vuelta a España the sadistic slopes in excess of 20% towards the top of Cuitu Negru reduced riders to a crawl that year as stage winner Dario Cataldo completed the final stretch at virtually walking pace with Thomas De Gendt almost collapsing in a heap as he crossed the line just behind in second this ultra-steep section comes after the riders have already spent the previous 13km climbing to the summit of Puerto de Pajares at 7% Add to that the fact that the riders must first complete a double ascent of the category- one Alto de la Colladiella (6.4km at 8.2%) plus the smaller Alto de Santo Emiliano in between and this stage should leave us with a clearer picture of who will wear the red jersey in Madrid The serene glacial lakes at the summit of Lagos de Covadonga have formed the backdrop for more Vuelta stages than any other mountain since it was first introduced in 1983 with such Vuelta icons as Primož Roglič Pedro Delgado and Lucho Herrera among the 19 riders to have triumphed on its fluctuating Though the 44km of downhill and valley roads leading up to the foot of the Covadonga might appear to rule out early attacks the Vuelta’s last visit here in 2021 sets an intriguing precedent – then Egan Bernal successfully rode away with Primož Roglič on Collada Llomena before Roglič went solo on Covadonga to win the stage by over a minute- and-a-half and land a decisive blow in his red jersey title defence expect today to be similarly consequential This will be the 36th occasion Santander has hosted a finish of the Vuelta when Alessandro Pettachi won an opening-week stage Whereas that day stuck mostly to flat roads on the coast today the riders are sent inland to tackle some of the hills of Cantabria meaning a repeat of that bunch sprint is far from certain The million-dollar question is whether the pair of category-two climbs that come in quick succession in the stage’s first half are hard enough to deter the sprinters’ teams from chasing easy 70km run-in from the last summit back northwards towards the coast will allow the break to be brought back Teams will be exhausted after a string of hard days but as the last of very few chances for bunch sprints there is a great incentive to commit to chasing the Ikurriña flag flying on a hillside passionate fans screaming encouragement in a unique-sounding language All this can only mean one thing: we’re in the Basque Country This is one of the most cycling-mad regions in all of the world given how exciting the terrain here can make racing Today’s stage is typical for the Basque Country in that it undulates all day without featuring a single standout climb The 8% slopes make the 5.6km Puerto Herrera the stiffest challenge of the day downs and narrow roads that make up the remaining 45km after it towards the finish through Izki Natural Park will be tricky to navigate The GC contenders are unlikely to be drawn into action but there should be a thrilling contest among puncheurs for the stage win The first of two consecutive mountain-top finishes followed by Sunday’s climactic time trial in Madrid stage 19 marks the beginning of this Vuelta’s endgame Riders head out westwards from Logrono on flat roads though the La Rioja wine region before looping back eastwards via the false flat and then official climb of Puerto de Pradilla Another prolonged flat section then precedes the Alto de Moncalvillo The Moncalvillo is a serious prospect that could change the course of the GC race For most of its 8.6km the riders will climb at around 9% which was enough to see all of the GC contenders separated by seconds and arrive at the finish one-by-one behind stage winner Primož Roglič when the mountain first hosted a Vuelta finish four years ago The Vuelta organisers have saved the hardest mountain stage until last contriving a true monster of a day through the summits of Burgos Though none quite match the difficulty of yesterday’s finish at Alto de Moncalvillo all together they amount to over 4,000m elevation gain In theory the GC action could ignite at virtually any moment depending on how ambitious those aiming to gain time are feeling but the 20km-long valley between the peak of the penultimate Puerto de los Tornos and the foot of the climactic Picón Blanco may dissuade anyone from committing too deeply before that final climb Picón Blanco is the hardest and by far the steepest of the day’s climbs carries the potential to heartbreakingly unravel a contender’s GC dreams the Vuelta reaches its traditional climax at Madrid the usual processional sprint stage is replaced by a 24.6km time trial That was the case the second-to- last time the Vuelta finished with a Madrid time trial in 2002 when Aitor González put over three minutes into Roberto Heras to snatch overall victory from him at the death the totally flat nature of the parcours will exacerbate the differences in time trialling ability between the GC contenders If the time gaps between them at the top are still close enough a similarly dramatic late twist in the race for the red jersey is possible The Olympic road race was too hilly for any pure fastman to take any of the limited starting places for their nations and the World Championship route in Zurich is equally unfavourable even the majority of the second-rate sprinters who came out of the Tour de France empty-handed aren’t bothering with the final Grand Tour of the year This is a Vuelta for the lightweight mountain men who until now have been fighting for scraps in the wheeltracks of the unstoppable Tadej Pogačar An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants. Reading"Inés Maestre’s hyperrealistic..." More fromWork Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Extra Search relationships and human natureThe painter and illustrator draws inspiration from daily life It’s not uncommon for a creative to dabble in something else before landing on their chosen medium When Inés Maestre was growing up in Madrid she – like many blossoming artists – was reluctantly resigned to the idea that art could only be a hobby But studying fashion taught me a lot and it was the first step towards what I wanted to do.” Inés realised that fashion design wasn’t making her happy which pushed her to move to London and “make a living from scratch” Inés still had a great time starting fresh and saw how it was possible to survive as an artist – “something I had been taught could only be a hobby so my perspective of life changed a lot,” she says Inés began taking on commissions as an illustrator working with brands and magazines while pursuing personal projects and exhibitions on the side she moved back to Madrid and lived in the city for two years until moving to Switzerland to finish up an MA in Fine Arts you’ll find her based between Lausanne and Madrid When she’s not taking on a commission for the likes of Esquire you’ll find her producing her hyperrealistic depictions of women All the while commenting on topics such as human nature or the adult industry Speaking about how she finds the topics she wishes to explore Inés calls herself “lucky” to be able to draw inspiration from daily life and in “what surrounds us as human beings” This includes concepts related to sociology and psychology “I am interested in how we relate to what we feel and the whole journey though which we transform or express what ‘we have inside’,” she notes “I find it very interesting to work on the representation of what is not tangible or visible to the naked eye.” Collaboration with Sara Bastai and Zelda Passini pieces (Copyright © Inés Maestre “I believe that desire is the engine that drives human life” Inés has collaborated with one of her best friends and photographer Sara Bastai conceived with pieces designed by jewellery designer Zelda Passini tears steaming down her translucent skin and eyes as blue as a clear summer’s sky but this time our gaze is on a woman’s hands as she touches the back of her neck as they decided to work together while in isolation “We were locked up at home and we had this collaboration in mind – we decided to do it during those two weeks of isolation together with my other flatmate We used the cheesy story of the movie Ghost as inspiration but transferred to a relationship between two women We attempted to represent the feeling of frustration when the ghost tries to touch his beloved but he can’t because he is no longer a body.” This conjures up imagery of disconnection and the yearning for human touch which of course were experienced by many during the pandemic “It’s a metaphor for the lack of physical contact that we were all experiencing at that time.” Inés steers away from the format of paint and instead turns her focus on installation Draped fabric hangs off a twisted wire hanger while the material is adorned in painterly visuals – much like the work we’re seeing throughout the rest of her portfolio Somewhat reminiscent of Renaissance painting we catch glimpses of cherubs and grapes as they peak through the folds of the fabric and how sometimes in our experiences we get them mixed up,” she says “I believe that desire is the engine that drives human life All of Inés’ artworks have a deep-rooted concept beneath the surface “I want the pieces to emphasise the feeling and the price we have to pay when the object we desire may not be the best for us even if it satisfies our appetite,” she says Ines hopes you’ll interpret your own stories form her works – they’re free for all to enjoy and experience I would like the kind of messages that my pieces transmit to be of sorority; messages that communicate that you are not alone in living what you are living and challenging the way of representation that is established by social standards.” 13 Alfileres de San Antonio (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: I Know how soft your body is I scratched my hands with it (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Quiero un machote (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Threesome bday (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Collaboration with Buenavista Lanzar (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: La fuente de los deseos (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Painting for Time Will Tell 2022 calendar (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Pornophobia (Copyright © Inés Maestre Inés Maestre: Doing the best with what we have (Copyright © Inés Maestre Further Infoinesmaestre.comwww.instagram.com/inesmaestre_ Ayla Angelos Ayla is a London-based freelance writer After joining It’s Nice That in 2017 as editorial assistant she was interim online editor in 2022/2023 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis and she is also the managing editor of design magazine Anima Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest About Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs © It’s Nice That 2024 · Nice Face Logo © It’s Nice That Ayla is a London-based freelance writer The artist Hannah Lim took to the Nicer Tuesdays stage last month to share the many facets of her vibrant practice she demonstrated how she’s been unpacking the 18th Century aesthetic trend of Chinoiserie through the lens of her mixed Chinese Porous is a beautifully tender and tactile meditation on healing from sexual trauma The LA-based artist finds his greatest inspiration across his state’s local cityscapes busted-up signage and never pretty or pristine plaques The painter’s surreal portraits merge past and present figures – the familiar and fantasy – to connect stories of “exile The London-based painter’s earthy palettes swirl through surreal scenes that merge family archives and fiction to create new and imagined realities the illustrator shares a view of the city up close in amongst all the entanglements of a nostalgic but imperfect trip candles and cups all fall into place in Anjali Kamat’s playful analogue scenes Born in Thailand and raised between New Zealand and Portland Laney’s lively artwork is laced with humour and an adventurous approach Next month’s Nicer Tuesdays is sure to give you creative bunch a spring in your step with awe inspiring talks from: a design agency that’s building evolving brands a sculptor reclaiming colonial design trends from the 18th century a 3D design studio whose animation style capitalises on all things camp and a photographer exploring their Peruvian roots through the lens With an everyday ritual of painting the newspaper the artist’s project is a testament to what happens when we treat creativity as something as intrinsic as eating breakfast or brushing our teeth The renowned charity record sleeve auction is back with an extraordinary lineup of world-renowned artists including artworks for vinyl by: Antony Gormley takes the Nicer Tuesdays crowd through the development of his meticulously layered painting style from early creative influences to the different materials and methods he uses to create cinematic scenes with theatrical dynamics In preparation for his archive show in London we caught up with the artist to uncover some of the stories behind his most renowned letterpress prints and to celebrate the birth of the poster and manifesto that has come to define his career Resistance is an exhibition conceived by acclaimed artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen and curated in collaboration with the Turner’s director Clarrie Wallis We spoke to Clarrie about how photography has shaped protest From embracing candid photography to exploring tactile textures the report champions a shift away from digital perfection highlighting the human touch as the key to impactful design Aysha Tengiz received a questionable contract asking her to give up rights to her own intellectual property the illustrator explains why that’s such dodgy practice and why creatives need to be more clued up about copyright The photographer explores masculinity within domestic spaces in Taiwan and the UK blurring the lines between performance and documentary the Philadelphia-based artist is exploring “Black Femme identity” and representation in the online sphere The result of a bizarre obsession with this red member of the chicory family the publication is a photographic and material study of the striking plant Focusing his lens on queer communities and subcultures in the region the artist’s images are a war-torn account of adolescence Our Berlin correspondent lays bare the realities of recent funding cuts to arts and culture in Germany The photographer’s portraits of Chinese international students in London uncovers the complexities of finding a new place to call home inesmaestre.comwww.instagram.com/inesmaestre_ The painter and illustrator draws inspiration from daily life About Contact Advertising Opportunities Newsletters Insights + Opinion Creatives + Projects Advice + Resources Culture + Lifestyle Nicer Tuesdays The View From... POV Forward Thinking Review of the Year Jenny Brewer Olivia Hingley Ellis Tree Elizabeth Goodspeed Liz Gorny Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest Careers at It’s Nice That Privacy Policy Insights Residence Creative Lives in Progress If You Could Jobs Primoz Roglic proved he has fully recovered from his Tour de France-ending crash with stage four victory in the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday The three-time Vuelta winner triumphed atop the daunting closing climb to Pico Villuercas to stake his claim for a record-equalling fourth success in one of cycling's three Grand Tours reeled in a two-man breakaway up the gruelling 14.6km long ascent with a gradient of 16 percent over the final 5km 💥 A stage marked by a tough summit finish that has given us a battle from the start with a quality breakaway and a spectacle in the mountains. Relive it now in 1'. 💥 Una etapa marcada por un duro final en alto que nos ha dado batalla desde el inicio con una fuga de calidad y… pic.twitter.com/zJU1P3Hrwp Roglic was rewarded for his endeavour by taking over the race leader's red jersey He leads the UAE team's Joao Almeida by eight seconds in the general classification In a desperate scramble for the line Lennert Van Eetvelt had his arm raised in victory only for Roglic to pip him to the post you never know when is the last (victory) so I just enjoy it," said the day's winner who was forced out of last month's Tour de France before the 13th stage I'm just happy today with how the team worked and that I could finish it off at the end," he added 🏆🇸🇮 @rogla: "It wasn't the main objective of today, but when you see the guys riding hard in this heat... you're happy to finish it off. You never know when it's the last one, so just enjoy it."🏆🇸🇮 Roglic - @RBH_ProCycling: "No era el objetivo principal de hoy, pero cuando… pic.twitter.com/QcZNZhYOoi Plenty of title contenders were left scattered down the mountainside in their wake as Roglic made a clear statement of intent about his chances of adding to his Vuelta wins in 2019 The race was entering Spain for the first time after three days in Portugal with this 170.5km ride from Plasencia to Pico Villuercas in the Extremadura region Wednesday's stage five will be easier on the legs with a less demanding 170km ride from Fuente del Maestre to Seville as the race heads into Andalusia That could give Wout van Aert hope of adding to his red jersey-clinching stage three win after trailing in 26 minutes adrift in the mountains at the start Saturday August 17 da Lisbon and then arrive Sunday September 8 a Madrid after 3153,8 km which promise to be a harbinger of entertainment and twists they will be able to raise the difficulty level well 9 arrivals uphill Among which 3 unpublished (those a Yunquera thus configuring a race that is difficult to interpret for the experts themselves It doesn't end here: the hamlets in which the road will go up will be well 8 compared to only one real stage for sprinters with the big names in the category who will probably once again snub a Return which could issue verdicts already in the first part with the stages 8 e 9 to be circled in red Another fiery weekend will be the one in Asturias but the general ranking will be definitively shaped only in the last week the good one to find the heir of Sepp kuss in 2024 there will be no triumphal parade through the streets of Madrid in the name of photos and toasts: it is possible that i 22 km finals that will lead to the Spanish capital can still upset the ranking   Stage 1 - Lisbon-Oeiras (12 km) (individual time trial) Stage 2 - Cascais-Ourém (191 km) Stage 3 - Lousa-Castelo Branco (182 km) Stage 4 - Plasencia-Pico Villuercas (167 km) Stage 5 - Fuente del Maestre-Sevilla (170 km) Stage 6 - Carrefour sur Jerez de la Frontera-Yunquera (181 km) Stage 7 - Archidona-Cordoba (179 km) Stage 8 - Ubeda-Cazorla (159 km) Stage 9 - Motril-Granada (178 km) Stage 10 - Ponteareas-Baiona (160 km) Stage 11 - Cortizo Technological Campus Padron (164 km) Stage 12 - Orense-Estacion de Montana de Manzaneda (133 km) Stage 13 - Lugo-Puerto de Ancares (171 km) Stage 14 - Villafranca del Bierzo-Villablino (199 km) Stage 15 - Inifiesto- Valgrande- Pajares Cuitu Negru (142 km) Stage 16 - Luanco-Lagos de Covadonga (181 km) Stage 17 - Juan del Castillo Monument Arnuero-Santander (143 km) Stage 18 - Vitoria-Gasteiz-Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki (175 km) Stage 19 - Logrono-Alto de Moncalvillo (168 km) Stage 20 - Villarcayo-Picon Blanco (188 km) Stage 21 - Distrito Telefonica-Madrid 22 km (individual time trial) Read also - Athletics, Andrea Barberi dies at 44 El tiempo en Fuente del Maestre: previsión meteorológica para hoy martes 29 de abril / El Periódico Extremadura se espera un tiempo mayormente estable y agradable con temperaturas que rondarán los 17 grados a las 00:00 horas descendiendo ligeramente a 16 grados a la 01:00 la temperatura continuará bajando hasta alcanzar los 13 grados a las 07:00 momento en el que la humedad relativa comenzará a aumentar el cielo se mantendrá mayormente despejado lo que permitirá que los rayos del sol calienten el ambiente ya que la probabilidad de lluvia se mantiene en un 0% durante toda la jornada alcanzando los 12 grados a las 08:00 y llegando a los 15 grados a las 09:00 se espera un aumento gradual de la temperatura alcanzando un máximo de 25 grados a las 16:00 aunque la humedad relativa también irá en aumento alcanzando un 57% a las 09:00 y un 49% a las 19:00 Esto puede hacer que la tarde se sienta un poco más cálida especialmente con la combinación de la temperatura y la humedad El viento soplará desde el sureste durante la mayor parte del día con velocidades que oscilarán entre los 17 y 26 km/h en las primeras horas aumentando a 29 km/h a las 07:00 y alcanzando picos de hasta 44 km/h en la tarde Esta brisa será refrescante y contribuirá a que la temperatura se sienta más llevadera se prevé que se mantenga en un 0% durante todo el día lo que significa que no habrá riesgo de fenómenos meteorológicos adversos lo que permitirá disfrutar de una hermosa puesta de sol el tiempo en Fuente del Maestre para hoy será mayormente soleado con temperaturas agradables y sin precipitaciones lo que lo convierte en un día perfecto para disfrutar de actividades al aire libre la obtenida de la Agencia Estatal de Meteorología Fecha de actualización de los datos: 2025-04-28T21:12:12 Ver noticias guardadas sábado 3 de mayo / El Periódico Extremadura se espera un tiempo variable a lo largo de las horas con temperaturas que rondarán los 13 grados manteniendo un ambiente despejado y temperaturas estables con intervalos nubosos que podrían traer consigo algunas lluvias escasas La temperatura alcanzará su punto máximo en torno a los 19 grados aunque la sensación térmica podría verse afectada por el aumento de la humedad que se espera que se mantenga en torno al 60% con rachas que alcanzarán hasta los 42 km/h en las horas más activas del día Esto podría generar una sensación de frescor lo que podría hacer que las actividades al aire libre sean un poco más complicadas La probabilidad de precipitación es notable especialmente entre las 14:00 y las 20:00 horas donde se estima que la posibilidad de lluvia alcance el 100% podrían ser suficientes para mojar el suelo así que es recomendable llevar un paraguas si se planea salir durante esas horas La tarde también podría traer consigo tormentas aisladas con una probabilidad del 70% de que se produzcan en el mismo intervalo alcanzando los 16 grados hacia las 20:00 horas lo que podría hacer que la sensación térmica sea más fría se tornará más inestable a medida que avance la tarde hoy en Fuente del Maestre se vivirá un día de contrastes con un inicio soleado que dará paso a un tiempo más variable y potencialmente lluvioso en las horas de la tarde Es un buen momento para disfrutar de la mañana al aire libre pero se recomienda estar preparado para las inclemencias del tiempo más tarde Fecha de actualización de los datos: 2025-05-02T21:12:11 lunes 14 de abril / El Periódico Extremadura la predicción meteorológica para Fuente del Maestre indica un día mayormente cubierto con variaciones en la nubosidad a lo largo de las horas el cielo se presentará despejado y poco nuboso con temperaturas que oscilarán entre los 12 y 14 grados alcanzando un estado muy nuboso y cubierto en las horas centrales especialmente entre las 10:00 y las 16:00 horas La temperatura máxima se espera que llegue a los 17 grados en la tarde mientras que la mínima se registrará en torno a los 10 grados en las primeras horas del día lo que podría generar una sensación de bochorno con valores que podrían llegar hasta 0.6 mm en las horas de mayor actividad especialmente entre las 19:00 y las 20:00 horas La probabilidad de lluvia se incrementa notablemente en la tarde alcanzando un 100% entre las 14:00 y las 20:00 horas lo que sugiere que es probable que se produzcan chubascos dispersos la cantidad de lluvia esperada no será significativa con rachas que podrían alcanzar hasta los 55 km/h en las horas más ventosas Esto podría generar condiciones de inestabilidad especialmente para actividades al aire libre La probabilidad de tormentas también es notable con un 70% entre las 14:00 y las 20:00 horas lo que podría traer consigo descargas eléctricas y ráfagas de viento más intensas se espera que la nubosidad disminuya ligeramente aunque el cielo permanecerá mayormente cubierto hoy en Fuente del Maestre se anticipa un día con cielos cubiertos y posibilidad de lluvias junto con un viento fuerte que podría afectar las actividades al aire libre Se aconseja a los ciudadanos estar preparados para cambios repentinos en el tiempo y tomar precauciones ante posibles tormentas Fecha de actualización de los datos: 2025-04-13T21:12:12 lunes 5 de mayo / El Periódico Extremadura con la posibilidad de lluvias escasas a lo largo de la jornada con una probabilidad de precipitación del 100% en los periodos más críticos especialmente entre las 08:00 y las 14:00 horas con acumulados que no superarán los 0.1 mm La temperatura durante el día oscilará entre los 12 y 19 grados alcanzando su punto máximo en las horas centrales de la tarde se prevé un ligero aumento en la temperatura especialmente con la humedad relativa que se mantendrá alta Esto podría hacer que la sensación térmica sea más cálida de lo que realmente indica el termómetro con rachas que alcanzarán hasta los 34 km/h en las horas de mayor intensidad especialmente entre las 18:00 y las 20:00 horas Esta combinación de viento y humedad podría generar un ambiente fresco aunque la percepción de calor aumentará debido a la humedad presente en el aire Las ráfagas de viento podrían ser más intensas en las zonas abiertas por lo que se recomienda precaución si se planea realizar actividades al aire libre se estima que hay un 55% de posibilidad de que se produzcan tormentas en la tarde lo que podría traer consigo un aumento en la intensidad de las lluvias la probabilidad de tormentas se reduce a un 5% en la noche lo que sugiere que el tiempo se estabilizará hacia el final del día Los ciudadanos de Fuente del Maestre deben estar preparados para un día de clima variable con la posibilidad de lluvias ligeras y un ambiente fresco Se aconseja llevar paraguas y abrigos ligeros si se planea salir especialmente durante las horas de mayor probabilidad de precipitación ofreciendo un respiro tras un día de nubosidad y posibles lluvias Fecha de actualización de los datos: 2025-05-05T14:14:06 miércoles 23 de abril / El Periódico Extremadura se presenta en Fuente del Maestre con un tiempo mayormente despejado lo que permitirá disfrutar de un ambiente agradable a lo largo de la jornada lo que favorecerá la entrada de luz solar y contribuirá a un aumento gradual de las temperaturas descendiendo ligeramente a 12 grados a la 01:00 se espera que las temperaturas continúen bajando hasta alcanzar los 10 grados entre las 04:00 y las 06:00 comenzará un repunte térmico que llevará el termómetro a 9 grados alcanzando un máximo de 23 grados entre las 16:00 y las 18:00 lo que sugiere un tiempo cálido y propicio para actividades al aire libre La humedad relativa será un factor a tener en cuenta comenzando en un 70% a la medianoche y disminuyendo gradualmente a lo largo del día se espera que la humedad se sitúe en un 49% lo que contribuirá a una sensación de confort especialmente durante las horas más cálidas con velocidades que oscilarán entre 2 y 17 km/h a lo largo del día Las ráfagas más intensas se registrarán entre las 12:00 y las 14:00 lo que podría proporcionar un alivio ante las temperaturas más elevadas de la tarde No se anticipan precipitaciones en ninguna de las horas del día lo que significa que no habrá interrupciones por lluvias La probabilidad de lluvia se mantiene en cero lo que refuerza la idea de un día completamente seco y soleado Con el orto solar a las 07:38 y el ocaso a las 21:10 los habitantes de Fuente del Maestre podrán disfrutar de un extenso periodo de luz natural ideal para actividades al aire libre y encuentros sociales perfecto para disfrutar de la primavera en todo su esplendor Fecha de actualización de los datos: 2025-04-22T20:47:12 �stas son las clasificaciones completas tras la quinta etapa de la Vuelta a Espa�a 2024 de 177 kil�metros y disputada este mi�rcoles en entre las localidades espa�olas de Fuente del Maestre y Sevilla La victoria de etapa se la llev� al sprint el ciclista checo Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich) al superar al belga Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) y al australiano Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) El esloveno Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora) continu� al frente de la clasificaci�n general individual de la ronda espa�ola # Vuelta a Espa�a Sigue toda la actualidad del mundo del ciclismo en nuestros canales de WhatsApp y Telegram donde recibiras las noticias m�s destacadas