Lagos De Covadonga

It is 35 years since Marino Lejarreta won the first Vuelta stage to finish at the now famous Asturian lakes

- Giles Belbin

So named because of the lakes that sit near its summit, since its introduction to the race in 1983 the Lagos de Covadonga has played a large part in shaping Vuelta a España history — when stage 15 of the 2018 race visits on September 9 it will be the 21st time the race has finished on its precipitous slopes.

In the early 1980s the Vuelta was searching for a climb on which race legend could be crafted. The Tour de France had Alpe d’Huez and the Galibier; the Giro d’Italia had the Stelvio. The Vuelta needed a climb which would capture the cycling public’s imagination, a climb on which stories could be written and history made. Step forward the Lagos de Covadonga.