One of the surprises in La Vuelta would be a new finish with 20% gradients

Alicante could once again host a stage finish of La Vuelta at the Alto del Misserà, a beastly climb with gradients of 24% and which would give visibility to an area affected by fires. The Provincial Council has had the proposal on the table since last August. The official route will be presented on January 10th.

La Vuelta as a means for recovery

Rumours of a high finish for La Vuelta 2023 date back to August 30th, when the president of the Diputación de Alicante, Carlos Mazón, met with 15 mayors of the area affected by the fires.

At the end of the meeting, some councillors of the Pego Town Council (one of the towns in the area) proposed to Mazón the idea of turning the Alto del Misserà into a stage finish that would previously pass through the interior of the Marina Alta, as was reported in the local media.

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Toughness and verticality

The Alto de Misserà is a huge mountain pass that will demand the maximum from the riders. From Pego, the climb is 6.7 kilometres at an average of 10%, although with peaks of 24%, with a final section in the form of a zigzag.

In its favour, the area where it is located is one of the favourite destinations of many teams for pre-season training, so they already know the surroundings. In fact, Alaphilippe himself posted an image on his social networks at the summit, while thanks to Strava you can see how other riders like Evenepoel himself have also enjoyed (or suffered) the Alto del Misserà.

On the other hand, the road narrows in its final stretch to such an extent that some have expressed doubts about the viability of bringing a stage of La Vuelta to this place.

A very mountainous Vuelta

Pending the official announcement of the route on January 10th, La Vuelta 2023 will be held between August 26th and September 17th, starting in Barcelona and finishing in Madrid.

The general director of La Vuelta, Javier Guillén, said recently that it will be a very mountainous edition. According to Europa Press, Guillén said that the mountains will be a very important component in La Vuelta 2023 and that it will have "seven mountaintop finishes".

Finally, he explained that La Vuelta 2023 will be decided at the end. "We are working on a final stage that breaks with the profile of so many classic mountain passes. Everything is planned to be decided there".