Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol 2023 – Stage 2
A dominant performance from Pogacar sees him in the lead. Tomorrow is another important day for the GC with two very difficult steep muros.
The route
A fairly easy start should see a small group get up the road. There are bonus seconds – I think UAE are happy letting them go and I do not see any team wanting to control the day to potentially not get any, as Covi and Sjoerd can sprint for them instead of Pogacar.

The interesting point starts after 128 km of racing. The first wall and the most difficult one. This is the whole climb, but there is no doubt the first part is the toughest. 1.9 km at 13.6%. Absolutely brutal.
From the top of the whole climb above, the riders have 20.8 km left. Most of this is downhill. I can see a group going clear over the top but it is also likely we see things come more or less back together before the final climb.

It is another wall. Keep in mind, the last 500 meters or so are on badly paved roads/cobbles/gravel. The hardest part is 300 meters at 16.5%.
Weather
Same weather as today. Not that warm, not that windy.
Key factors
- A good team for positioning.
- Good on steep inclines.
Contenders
Pogacar – What a truly dominant performance today. It will just be difficult to look past him tomorrow. UAE did everything right. The question is if they will set him up for a longer range attack or wait to the final climb.
Landa – looked sharp today, but as mentioned I do not think the muros are made for him.
Buitrago – the best besides Pogacar. I think it is clear he is better than Landa on shorter climbs. I expect him to finish on the podium tomorrow
Rodriguez – mechanical with 16 km left. He still managed to get back in the main group and finished third on the stage. He was better than anticipated today, even if he didn’t have a mechanical. INEOS will likely look to him for a GC result too with the other’s being distanced today.
Tao G Hart – a good puncheur, but I think he is in the service of Rodriguez. Perhaps we could see him trying to tire out Pogacar but he will not succeed.
Mas – he had a mechanical which was a shame, it made him lose a minute. He looked strong today, and I expect him to be one of the better tomorrow. He will likely aim for the podium.
Guerreiro – did not look to good today. I think they will go all in for Mas.
Who will win?
A double for Pogacar.