August 26 post: Stage 3 starts in one big party ("luxury tourism") town and finishes in another along the Costa del Sol ("Coast of the Sun"). Starting from the stage 2 finish in Marbella, we'll immediately head up the cat 2 Alto de Ojén on a day that follows the foothills of the Sistema Penibético northeast to the finish in Málaga.
Málaga is the birth place of Pablo Picasso
Málaga is the birth place of Pablo Picasso, the capital of the Andalusia region and one of the oldest cities in the world. The peloton will do two passes through Málaga where the long Puerto del León (profile), north of the city, will be used to trim the ranks of the peloton before the fast return and the flat and then uphill finish near the Málaga beaches. This is the first (and probably the easiest) of eight mountain stages at this year's Vuelta and a stage that suits a decent climber who also packs the punch needed to win the 1.75 km 6% uphill finish. Someone like classics rider, Philippe Gilbert. — Steve