Climbers take centre stage at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana - Preview

Who said early season races had to be easy and for the sprinters? 

The organisers of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Europe’s first ProSeries race of the 2023 calendar certainly don’t seem to feel that way.

From rugged race openers in the southerly sierras of Carrasqueta and Aitana to the decisive final treks through the mountain ranges of Turia and Calderona in the north, all of Valenciana’s five stages will be significantly shaped by their climbs. Particularly when, just like last year, there’s no individual time trial in the five-day Spanish stage race which starts on Wednesday.

Although early season races are lacking in previous form guides, the initial point of reference when the peloton rolls out of the start town Orihuela will be defending champion Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-hansgrohe), who last year inflicted a stinging defeat on Remco Evenepoel on the roads of Valencia. 

That proved to be one of the few setbacks of 2022 for the all-conquering Belgian rider, who rather than return to Valencia has opted for a South American start to his 2023 season.

Whoever has their eyes on standing tallest on the podium in front of Valencia’s town hall next Sunday afternoon, this year’s two summit finishes and more than 12,100 metres of vertical climbing in a total of 787.5 kilometres will likely make this year’s race a far harder challenge than in 2023.

The climbing starts as soon as the race gets underway on Wednesday in the southerly spa town of Orihuela, home to cycling’s oldest living Grand Tour winner, 1948 Vuelta a España champion Bernardo Ruiz, who also triumphed in the Vuelta al Levante as Valenciana was then called way back in 1957. 

A deep incursion into the southern sierras will see the 2023 peloton start Valenciana by tackling the 14 kilometre Col de Rates, rated second category, and the 11 kilometre Bercia, rated third category, prior to a long, fast drop back down to the coast at Altea.

Those ascents may well be steady enough to see a small group sprint materialise at the end of stage 1, rather than a breakaway. But stage 2, with no less than seven categorised ascents and a summit finish, is definitely one for the GC racers.

Four second and third category climbs early on in the Sierra de Magmo, where Evenepoel came unstuck on the gravel roads of Valenciana last year, will provide an initial test of the legs. 

After the brutally short, steep, ascent to Cumbres del Sol  - scene of a memorable duel between Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome in the 2015 Vuelta a España, a new climb, the almost equally difficult ascent to the Alto de Pinos, will surely provide a first key GC sort-out.

After a transfer to the north of the region, the rugged profile of stage 3 of the 2023 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana could well see another small group sprint. The first category ascent of El Garbi, peaking out some 30 kilometres from the finish, is perhaps not hard enough to shake off all the fastmen prior to the sweeping descent to the finish on the coastal town of Sagunto. 

However, stage 4, the race’s toughest, is another story altogether. Featuring over 3,500 metres of climbing, the grinding second category ascent of Montmayor, 80 kilometres out, is one of multiple options for some long-range challenges for the stage victory. 

The day’s final ascent to the Santa Cova sanctuary, just three kilometres long and with seven percent ramps, is probably not hard enough for a fully blown bid for the overall. However, the stage’s relentlessly rugged profile could well see serious attacks made at any point.

The last stage, traditionally a short run into the centre of the city of Valencia, offers options for the climbers. The first category Puerto de la Frontera climb, some 40 kilometres from the finish in the regional capital, will test the legs of GC challengers one last time. 

The favourites to watch

The lack of a time trial for a second year should not cause too much of a headache for Vlasov given his climbing skills, should he be up for defending his overall title. 

But given the difficulty of this year’s Valenciana route, a strong team will be as crucial as individual riders form and Bora-Hansgrohe have selected some of their ‘A’ list stage racing specialists, including Lennard Kamna, Matteo Fabbro and Bob Jungels. It’s no coincidence that all of these riders are provisionally slated to be supporting Vlasov in the Giro d’Italia, and Valenciana will provide an excellent team-building opportunity.

Even if Evenepoel is missing from the Valenciana start list, Bora-Hansgrohe will not have it at all easy. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers), will be aiming to shine in Valencia, particularly as last year the Andalusian rider claimed third overall behind Vlasov and Evenepoel. Tao Geoghegan Hart, third in Valenciana a few years back, could have options as well.

While Rodriguez and Ayuso are still in their earliest racing days, at the other end of the spectrum, Basque veterans and Bahrain Victorious teammates Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa will be aiming to make an impact. 

Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AIUIa) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) will be racing for the first time in their new 2023 team colours, while Rui Costa (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) will be hoping to build on his recent triumph in the hills of the Mallorca Challenge with further success in Spain’s first stage race of the season.