Alto de El Angliru
Encyclopedia
Alto del Angliru is a steep mountain road in Asturias
, near La Vega-Riosa, in northern Spain
. It is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing
. It has been used in the Vuelta a España
stage race.
and Mont Ventoux
in the Tour de France
and the Mortirolo Pass and Monte Zoncolan
in the Giro d'Italia
, which would go on in 2003 to add one of the world's most demanding climbs, the Zoncolan
, in an attempt to compete with the new Spanish climb. The Angliru was first included in 1999, on stage eight from León
. José Maria Jiménez
won after catching Pavel Tonkov
a kilometer from the finish. He dedicated the win to Marco Pantani
, disqualified from that year's Giro d'Italia
, saying: "I dedicate it to Pantani by everything that he has suffered in this time".
crashed three times and protested by handing in his race number a metre from the line. The judges ruled he had not finished the stage and he left the race. He regretted his temper - he had been ninth - and apologised to his team.
team, Vicente Belda, said: What do they want? Blood? They ask us to stay clean and avoid doping and then they make the riders tackle this kind of barbarity. Patrice Halgand
, a French rider, said the Union Cycliste Internationale
had rules about the distance and frequency of races but not about hills. He said:
The former climber Charly Mottet
approved the climb. He said:
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, near La Vega-Riosa, in northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
. It has been used in the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
stage race.
Origins
The organizers of the Vuelta a España wanted a mountain to rival the Alpe d'HuezAlpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
and Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and the Mortirolo Pass and Monte Zoncolan
Monte Zoncolan
Monte Zoncolan is a mountain in the Carnic Alps, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing, having been used in the Giro d'Italia four times and the Giro Donne once...
in the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, which would go on in 2003 to add one of the world's most demanding climbs, the Zoncolan
Monte Zoncolan
Monte Zoncolan is a mountain in the Carnic Alps, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing, having been used in the Giro d'Italia four times and the Giro Donne once...
, in an attempt to compete with the new Spanish climb. The Angliru was first included in 1999, on stage eight from León
León, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
. José Maria Jiménez
José Maria Jiménez
Jose María Jimenez Sastre was a professional road bicycle racer. His nickname was "El Chava".When he turned professional, Jiménez was considered a potential successor of Miguel Indurain...
won after catching Pavel Tonkov
Pavel Tonkov
Pavel Sergeyevich Tonkov is a former professional road racing cyclist from Russia. His talents were first showcased when winning the world junior title as part of the Soviet Union team in 1987. This alerted the world to his talents and he turned pro in 1992 with the RUSS-Baïkal team. His biggest...
a kilometer from the finish. He dedicated the win to Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing...
, disqualified from that year's Giro d'Italia
1999 Giro d'Italia
The 1999 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 82nd edition of the race, was held from 15 May to 6 June 1999. It covered in 22 stages. It was won by the Italian Ivan Gotti....
, saying: "I dedicate it to Pantani by everything that he has suffered in this time".
Details
The top of the climb is 1573 metres (5,160.8 ft) above sea level. The height difference is 1266 m (4,153.5 ft). The climb is 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) long, an average of 10.13%. It is near 24% at its steepest. The first 5 km (3.1 mi) are an average of 7.6%— stiff but not over-demanding for world-class cyclists. The sixth kilometre lessens to 2.1% and has a short descent. The last half of the climb is more severe. From six kilometres to the summit, it averages 13.1%. The steepest part, the Cueña les Cabres at 23.6%, is 3 km (1.9 mi) from the summit. There are two later ramps at 18% to 21% (sources vary).Controversy
During stage 15 in 2002, riders climbed the Angliru in rain. Team cars stalled on the steepest part, some unable to restart because their tires slipped on messages painted by fans. Riders were caught behind them and others had to ride with flat tires because mechanics could not reach them. David MillarDavid Millar
David Millar is a British road racing cyclist riding for . He has won three stages of the Tour de France, two of the Vuelta a España and one Stage of the Giro d'Italia. He was the British national road champion and the national time trial champion, both in 2007...
crashed three times and protested by handing in his race number a metre from the line. The judges ruled he had not finished the stage and he left the race. He regretted his temper - he had been ninth - and apologised to his team.
Opinions
The manager of the KelmeKelme
Kelmė is a city in central Lithuania. It has a population of around 11,000 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė district municipality.-History:Prior to World War II, Kelmė was home to a famous Rabbinical College, the Kelm Talmud Torah....
team, Vicente Belda, said: What do they want? Blood? They ask us to stay clean and avoid doping and then they make the riders tackle this kind of barbarity. Patrice Halgand
Patrice Halgand
Patrice Halgand is a French professional road racing cyclist, who is not currently signed to any team. He was one of only three Festina team riders who were named as clean during the Festina doping scandal during the 1998 Tour de France.Halgand indicated on 28 December 2008 that he is considering...
, a French rider, said the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
had rules about the distance and frequency of races but not about hills. He said:
- [The rules] haven't foreseen everything. The proof. I find it ridiculous to go looking for a hill on a narrow road, dangerous and winding, because it's not like that that you change the way a race develops [Ce n'est pas cela qui va changer les données de la course]. There are other cols than the Angliru to climb in the Vuelta. Differences in the riders would show just as well on a col that's less steep and on a wider road. It would also be better for spectacle, because on the Angliru the guys go too pitifully for the climb to have any sporting interest. Even the winner goes up in slow motion. There's no attacking. From front to rear, everyone just gets up as best he can.
The former climber Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet is a French former professional cyclist .He was one of the best French road cyclists of his era, Mottet won a total of 67 races, including the Tour de Romandie in 1990, and has 8 participations in the Tour de France. His best results in the Tour de France were the 4th positions in...
approved the climb. He said:
- I saw the climb of the Angliru and I thought it was good for cycling. I watched on television and saw a superb race. I am for these difficulties out of the normal, these extreme gradients. The steepness doesn't shock me because there is always a solution in choosing the right gears. The organiser should give an idea of what's needed in the race bible. I would see it, as a former rider (and organiser of the Dauphiné LibéréDauphiné LibéréThe Critérium du Dauphiné is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. The race was inaugurated by a local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, which gave its name to the event...
) as my duty.
External links
- Climbbybike.com Information on and profile of the Angliru
- Altimetry of the climb.
Stage winners
| Year | Rider |
|---|---|
| 1999 1999 Vuelta a España The 1999 Vuelta a España was the 54th Vuelta a España, taking place from September 4 starting in Murcia and finishing in Madrid on September 26, 1999. It consisted of 21 stages over 3576 km, ridden at an average speed of 39.449 km/h. The favourites were Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle, Jan... |
|
| 2000 2000 Vuelta a España The 55th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2000. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 2,904 km, and was won by Roberto Heras of the cycling team.-External links:**... |
|
| 2002 2002 Vuelta a España The 57th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 7 to September 29, 2002... |
|
| 2008 2008 Vuelta a España The 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later... |
|
| 2011 2011 Vuelta a España The 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country... |
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes