Lagos de Covadonga is one of the most famous climbs used in the Vuelta a España grand tour race. The road leading to the lake starts at Covadonga. The climb is around 13km long with an average gradient of 7.4%. The hardest part of the climb is called La Huesera, the bone yard. The La huesera part of the climb is 15%. This year Santini made a special jersey with a design incorporating bones to honour this section of the climb in the 2018 Vuelta a España.
The Lagos de Covadonga climb has been used many times in the Vuelta a España. It was first used in 1983 where the stage was won by Spain's Marino Lejarreta. Other winners include Scotland's Robert Miller, Spain's Pedro Delgado, Colombia's Lucho Herrera, France's Laurent Jalabert and in 2016 Colombia's Nairo Quintana, who went on to win the Vuelta that year.
Country: SPAIN
Mountain range location: Picos de Europa and Cantabrian
Distance: 16km
Elev Gain: 1056m
Avg Grade: 7.4%
Max Grade: 20%
Climb cat: HC
Min Elevation: 78m
Max Elevation: 1134m
Suggested Airport: Seve Ballesteros Santander
Suggested Train Station: Santander
