Favorites stage 17 Vuelta a Espana 2023 | Jumbo-Visma, Evenepoel, and Poels: heading to the (b)Angliru!

We start on Wednesday in Ribadesella, where we embark on a stage that is only 124 kilometers long in total. Of these, the first 65 kilometers are predominantly Spanish flat, a term known in cycling jargon for a road that continues to gently climb for a long time. After a short descent, the first real obstacle comes up, the Alto de la Colladiella.

This col is 7.8 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 7.1 percent, earning it a first-category rating. The last four kilometers constantly incline at more than eight percent, making it a challenging warm-up for the riders.

After a descent of sixteen kilometers and a six-kilometer journey through the valley, the next hurdle awaits us: the Alto del Cordal, also a mini-beast. Averaging 9.2 percent for just over five kilometers, but with an irregular profile. The last two kilometers have gradients of 11.8 and 11.6 percent, ouch!

At the top of this climb, there are still 21 kilometers to go to the finish on the Angliru, of which the first nine kilometers are downhill. Then, however, it's time for the famous Angliru. It's 12.4 kilometers long with an average gradient of 9.8 percent: these are dizzying numbers that will only get scarier when you take a closer look.

It starts with three tough kilometers at around eight to nine percent, followed by two slightly flatter kilometers before the incredibly steep final section. In the last seven kilometers, the gradients rarely drop below ten percent, with even one kilometer averaging eighteen (!) percent. Unbelievable!

Climbs
75.8 km: ALTO DE LA COLLADIELLA (7.8 km at 7.1%)
103.3 km: ALTO DEL CORDAL (5.4 km at 9.2%)
124.4 km: ALTU DE L'ANGLIRU (12.4 km at 9.8%)

Times
Start: 1:57 p.m.
Finish: around 5:30 p.m.

With temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius, it won't be too hot in this part of Spain on Wednesday, where the wind on the Angliru will blow diagonally. There's a chance of rain, but it's not very likely.

The Angliru, almost only great riders can win there. First and foremost, we look at Jumbo-Visma, the team that has dominated this Vuelta a Espana so far. Jonas Vingegaard won the tough stage to the Tourmalet and Tuesday's stage to Bejes, which means he now has the red jersey in sight.

The Danish Tour de France winner excels in the toughest terrain, such as the Angliru. It could very well be the day he takes the jersey from his teammate Sepp Kuss, although Kuss, with his climbing abilities, will also feel comfortable on the gradients of the Beast of Asturias. Primoz Roglic, as the third rider, may also seize his opportunity, given his fast legs at the finish.

Because Jumbo-Visma is so dominant, it's likely that others will have to bet on a long breakaway to win. Two names that come to mind immediately happen to be from the Low Countries: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious). The former has already expressed his intention to make a move, while the latter came close to winning on the Angliru before. With his third place on Tuesday, he too has shown that he's in good shape.

Other escapees who might want to seize their chance include Michael Storer (Groupama-FDJ), Finn Fisher-Black (UAE-Team Emirates), Juan Pedro López, Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek), and Poels's teammates Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi. But for them, it's important to have a significant advantage at the foot of the Angliru if they want to win.

For the general classification, we should also keep an eye on Juan Ayuso, Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates), Enric Mas (Movistar), Aleksandr Vlasov, Cian Uijtdebroeks (BORA-hansgrohe), and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious). But are they up to the challenge posed by the Jumbo-Visma squad?

Top favorites: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Sepp Kuss, Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) and Michael Storer (Groupama-FDJ)
Longshots: Santiago Buitrago, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Enric Mas (Movistar), Juan Ayuso, Finn Fisher-Black (UAE-Team Emirates), Aleksandr Vlasov, Cian Uijtdebroeks (BORA-hansgrohe) and Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek)