The tenth stage take place on Tuesday 8th September between the cities of Alicante and Murcia. In total, the stage covers 169 kilometres. It is likely that, following the stage finishes of Aitana and Xorret del Catí, the sprinters will try to recover centre stage. However, there task will be an easy one.
A little over 11 kilometres from the finish, the bunch must climb Alto de la Cresta del Gallo, a 2nd category climb with a fast descent that will almost certainly provoke more than one surprise among the favourites, as well as causing real problems for the sprinters. The finish line, in Murcia, is located in a highly-appropriately named street: Avenida Miguel Indurian.
Previous editions: Alicante has hosted five stage starts in the Vuelta’s history, whilst Murcia has hosted various stage finishes. The 2009 race represents the 25th time that the race has finished in the city since Salvador Cardona’s victory in 1935. The most recent stage finish in Murcia took place in 2002, with victory going to Mario Cipollini.Cipollini.
