Date: Wednesday 4 September, 2024
Distance: 141.5km
Start location: Arnuero
Finish location: Santander
Start time: 14:10 CEST
Finish time (approx): 17:22 CEST
Benefiting from its unusual geographical location, the bay of Santander is thought to have been settled in since Roman times. It has the distinction of being the only bay in the north of Spain that faces south, protecting it from the strong winds from the ocean to the north. Santander was thus established as a port city, and trade saw it prosper, especially in the 18th century when it enjoyed ties with the Spanish overseas colonies. The decline of the Spanish Empire also saw a decline of Santander's prosperity, however, and in 1941, much of its old town and medieval heritage was destroyed in a devastating fire. The city was rebuilt with modern architecture, and now services are the cornerstone of its economy — as anyone who has a bank account with Santander, founded here in 1857, might assume.
Santander has been a popular visiting point for the Vuelta a España, hosting 35 stage finishes in total, although none since 2003. On that occasion, they travelled to the city from the west via a start at Cangas de Onís, sticking near the coast and avoiding the Cantabrian Mountains that loom ominously to the south. Consequently, the stage ended in a bunch finish, won by the great sprinter of his era, Alessandro Petacchi, who by doing so, became only the third man in history to win stages in all three Grand Tours during the same season. The flat parcours might have prevented any GC action, but heavy rain did cause a young Cadel Evans to crash and break his collarbone.
It will take something similar for there to be any GC movement during today’s stage, which, after so many days spent climbing, at last enables some rest. The name of the day for the GC contenders will be more about staying alert and avoiding any incidents, while recharging their batteries for the final mountain stages to come later this week.
Though there isn't enough climbing to draw out the GC contenders, that doesn’t necessarily mean a bunch sprint is inevitable – 49km into the stage, they climb the steep Alto de la Estranguada (5.5km at 8.7%), and then, immediately after the descent, go uphill again for 7.2km to the summit of Alto del Caracol, albeit at a steadier 6.2%. If a strong break can form at the start of the day, and build a lead over the peloton on these climbs, then they stand a chance of making it to the finish to contest the stage win. That said, the final 70km to Santander are pretty much all either downhill or flat, and would therefore favour the chase, so long as enough sprinters’ teams still have the numbers, and the desire, to commit to doing so this deep into the Vuelta.
Stage profile sourced via Vuelta website
Contenders
With Wout van Aert now out of the race, the sprinter with ample chance at a third victory here is Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck). After a strong start, winning stage two, Groves was beaten by Van Aert and Pavel Bittner (Team DSM-Fermenich PostNL) in the sprint stages that followed, however, he came back fighting on stage 14 – a stage which featured over 2,800 metres of elevation. The amount of climbing in this stage will not phase him considering how well he performed in Villablino, so if he and his team can catch any potential escapees on the climbs, then he’ll be a firm favourite. Now in the green jersey too, he’ll be even more motivated to make this a sprint opportunity.
Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) could be another powerful rider with the potential to win this stage. He is yet to take a stage in this race, neither has his team, and therefore, will be wanting to try and take a win before the race concludes this weekend. With the earlier sprint opportunities, he placed top five, so if it boils down to a bunch sprint again, he’ll be one to watch. Or his teammate Quentin Pacher could be a rider with a chance of victory for the French team. He placed second earlier on in the race on stage 10 and has had a consistent performance throughout. Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) also both proved that they shouldn’t be counted out when contesting in the sprints, with a third and fourth place finish, respectively, behind Groves on stage 14.
If a break can get away, we can expect riders such as Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) to try and be in it. He was very active in the second week, just missing out on a podium spot on stage 11 when Eddie Dunbar (Jayco Alula) won the stage. William Junior Lecerf (Soudal–Quick-Step) may take his chances once again with such a big climb in the middle of the stage, as might Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco Alula) and Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). Other riders to watch out for will be Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Roger Adrià (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and Carlos Canal (Movistar).
Stage 17 winners prediction
We think Kaden Groves will take the stage in what will be the final sprint chance.
