Favorites stage 17 Vuelta a Espana 2024 | All pressure on Alpecin-Deceuninck

The riders will start Wednesday at the Monument of Juan del Castillo, a Spanish architect. A tricky hill immediately follows from the start, potentially proving crucial at the end. On this 1.4-kilometer climb at an 8.3 percent average, some punchers will take the lead, which will only be seen again in Santander.

After this hill, thirty mostly flat kilometers follow, after which the two categorized hills of the day come into sight. The Alto de la Estranguada (5.5 km at 8.7%) and immediately after the Alto del Caracol (7.2 km at 6.2%) can be labeled as big climbs, although everything depends on how they are climbed.

At the top of this second climb, we are exactly halfway through the race, and there are still seventy kilometers to go until Santander, which will be mostly downhill. Sprinters' teams may still be able to take control of the race here and take over.

The last kilometer in Santander is slightly hilly, as we follow the coastline. Positioning will be important in the final phase of the stage, as it is somewhat winding. Even in the last thousand meters, it goes slightly from left to right and back.

Climbs
54.8 km: Alto de la Estranguada (5.5 km at 8.7%)
70.4 km: Alto del Caracol (7.2 km at 6.2%)

Timetable
Start: 2:10 p.m.
Finish: 5:22 p.m.

Also, on Wednesday, there is some chance of rain, while the temperatures, at 19 degrees Celsius, are not great in Santander. The wind will come from the west, so there will also be a headwind for much of the stage.

The organization of the Vuelta a Espana is not making it easy for us, but neither do the riders. This stage could go either way on paper, but in practice, this looks like a last chance for the fast men present. The fast guys can survive a hill because, with the two climbs in the middle of the stage, that's still no easy feat.

Then, one's first thought would be the chameleon of this Vuelta, Wout van Aert. Unfortunately, the Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike went down on Tuesday, leaving us to set our sights on Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck. The Aussie in Belgian service has stayed in this Vuelta with an eye on this stage, but can he and his team take control? If so, other sprinters such as Pavel Bittner (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) could also take advantage of that, although they may have to add a pawn.

Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Carlos Canal (Movistar), and Filippo Baroncini of UAE-Team Emirates are guys who can also survive a climb and then arrive well. However, a ticket for the breakaway might be a better option if they want a chance at the stage win.

That way, guys like Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Stefan Küng, Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) will also want to try. The latter counts as someone who can make a goal for a ride like this. Alpecin-Deceuninck could try to get a man like Quinten Hermans to join them.

For the pure climbers, it might be too difficult to bridge the second half of the stage, so for the rest, you end up with all-rounders like Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal Quick-Step) and Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech). If things do get seriously tough, we will again look to Marc Soler, Brandon McNEddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla), Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma), Max Poole (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Harold Tejada of Astana Qazaqstan Team.

Top favorites: Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Outsiders: Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Baroncini (UAE-Team Emirates), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech)
Long shots: Stefan Küng, Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Pavel Bittner (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Carlos Canal (Movistar), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), , Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck)