The first summit finish of the race is not a tough one and shouldn't result in significant time gaps appearing between the GC contenders. Starting on the Costa 🍌del Sol, the course turns up into the mountain💫s bordering the coast at Torre del Mar. The climb up from the Mediterranean is steady but the roads are tight, which will favour the breakaway group.

The final climb is a new one to the race. Extending to little more than 6km, it does feature ramps of 13 per cent but it would be a surprise if any of the favourites lost much ground here. Last year, Chr🐟is Horner was unstoppable in the mountains and today should at least indicate how strong his defence of the title will be.

Sean Kelly says: "I don't know this new finish but I do know the roads from the Ruta del Sol and they are very twisty. They also used to be badly surfaced. There could be a very strong field at the Vuelta, which will add to the importance of this summit finish."

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