Alto de l'Angliru (alternative name: La Gamonal) 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 and
is often used in the Vuelta a España stage
race. Also known as La
Gamonal, the Alto de L’Angliru is in Asturias, Northern Spain and makes for a
relatively short but incredibly steep climb.
A brilliant route
for professional road bicycle training, the trail starts at 322 metres in
height and gains a further 1248 kilometres over the 13.47 kilometre route.
At its steepest
point, Cueña les Cabres, the gradient is 23.6% with the average gradient along
the trail being 9.9%
Origins
The organizers of
the Vuelta a España wanted a mountain to rival the Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux in
the Tour de France and
the Mortirolo Pass 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".
Details
The top of the
climb is 1,573 metres (5,161 ft) above sea level. The height difference is
1,266 m (4,154 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 Millar 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 Kelme 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 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 pass 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 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
Libéré) as my duty.