Angliru: 6 km at over 13% and how to get up them

The Alto de l'Angliru is, in Turespaña's words, a myth of Spanish cycling. From La Vega, in the Asturian municipality of Riosa, it is almost 13 km at an average of 10.13% to 1,573 m, with ramps up to 23.5%, according to Turismo Asturias. But the average hides the truth. The first half is a normal mountain road. The last 6 km average more than 13%, and the steepest kilometre averages 17.3%. Here is how it is built, how to get up it at all, and what the Vuelta made of it.

The climb: an ordinary road, then a wall

The climb starts in La Vega at a left-hand bend, where an information panel lists the past winners. Our track is 12.5 km with 1,259 m of climbing, an average of 10.1%.

• The first 5 km: a normal climb. Gradients between 5% and 9%, with a sign at Teleno marking 9%. On our track this part averages about 7.5%. It is the only part where the Angliru feels like any other mountain.
• Viapará: the last rest. The easiest section of the climb, almost flat, with a recreational area for a break. On our track it is a full kilometre at under 2%. After it, Turismo Asturias's route sheet gives the remaining 6 km at an average of more than 13%.
• Les Cabanes. A 400 m section that winds like a chicane, with a maximum of 22%. Then about 3 km of steady climbing, which on our track never drops below 11%.
• La Cueña les Cabres. The hardest kilometre: 17.3% on average and 23.5% at its steepest. Our track's steepest kilometre, 17.9%, is here.
• Aviru and Piedrusines. Two more ramps, at 21.5% and 20%, before the road finally flattens for the last few hundred metres to the top.

How to get up it

On the Angliru, pacing is less about watts than about not stopping. On the steepest ramps even strong amateurs ride at a walking pace, and the hardest kilometre comes when you have already climbed for an hour.

• Gearing first. This is the one climb where gearing decides everything. Turismo Asturias's blog recommends a compact chainset with a large rear sprocket, and even suggests a mountain bike for less experienced riders because of its range. A 34×34 is a minimum, and lower is better. See gearing for climbing.
• Ride the first 5 km at an easy endurance pace. At 5–9% you will want to push. Don't. Arrive at Viapará feeling as if you have hardly started.
• Above Viapará, ride to survive. At 17–23% your cadence will drop to 50 or below. Stand on the steepest ramps and keep your weight forward to keep the front wheel down. Climbing out of the saddle explains how to make standing efficient.
• Carry water and food. The blog's advice is simple: water, something to eat, and keep your helmet on all the way up.
• The descent is dangerous. Turismo Asturias warns that on the way down the brakes and rims can overheat, enough to burst an inner tube or deform a rim. Stop now and then to let them cool. Descending faster and safer has more on braking.

From a farmers' track to the Vuelta's toughest finish

Turespaña's spain.info describes the Angliru as an old 12 km track used by dairy farmers. The Vuelta a España first came here in 1999, on stage 8. Chava Jiménez won, ahead of Pável Tonkov. In 2000 a well-known brand painted "Aquí empieza el infierno" (here begins hell) on the road.

In 2017 Alberto Contador won the stage on the Angliru, and he chose that stage as his farewell to professional racing.

Practical

• Getting there. La Vega is the main village of Riosa. Turismo Asturias's route sheet also describes a 74 km loop with 2,325 m of climbing from Les Caldes that takes in the Angliru, rated "very hard".
• Pick a dry day. On wet roads, 20% ramps are very hard to ride, up or down.
• Plan for the way down. Even the tourist board's loop comes back down to La Vega, so you descend the road you climbed. Leave enough in the legs and the brakes for that.
• Nearby. The Lagos de Covadonga, the Vuelta's other great Asturian finish, are in the east of the region.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from La Vega to the top. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces its gradient as you ride, and the world around you is built from map data of the Sierra del Aramo. On a trainer the Angliru answers the most important question before you travel: can you turn your lowest gear at 17% for a kilometre? Ride the second half once and you will know whether you need a bigger sprocket.

Use it to test gearing, not to chase a time. Your rides are saved with power data, so you can see exactly where your cadence dropped. To ride it in another app, download the GPX above.

The short version

Almost 13 km at 10.13% from La Vega to 1,573 m, by Turismo Asturias's numbers, but the first half is ordinary and the last 6 km average over 13%, with La Cueña les Cabres at 17.3% for a kilometre. Fit the lowest gears you can, ride easily to Viapará, stand on the ramps, and stop on the way down to let your rims cool.