Take the never-flat roads of the Basque Country, stuff them with more or less steep climbs, season everything with a reduced mileage, shake it all up and you'll have the dish of stage eleven of the Vuelta.

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On the agenda today is the Bilbao-Bilbao of 157.4 km with seven GPM climbs to overcome. The first part, despite the uphill start, is softer compared to the demanding finale that offers in quick succession the Balcon de Bizkaia, the double passage on El Vivero and the Pike Bidea wall - 2.3 km at 8.9% - which is practically crossed seven kilometers from the final finish line.

In other words, it's reasonable to expect an explosive and tough stage - with 3,185 meters of elevation gain - at the end of which significant time gaps will be counted.