Page Contributor(s): Photos: ASO / Unipublic / Cxcling / Naike Ereñozaga
INTRO
Stage 10 offers a transition day between the mountains of Alto de Aitana and the sprint stages to come, running 184.7 km from the historic hilltop town of Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra. Three Category 3 climbs — Peralejo, Aýna, and Socovos — roll through the hills of Albacete province without ever getting truly severe, making this a stage tailor-made for a breakaway to contest, though a reduced bunch sprint remains likely if the GC teams keep things controlled.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. None of the day's three climbs bite especially hard — Peralejo (5.2 km at 4.3%), Aýna (7.7 km at 4%), and Socovos (9.7 km at 3.5%) are all steady, moderate grades without sharp ramps. The terrain in between rolls constantly, though, so there's rarely a flat stretch to recover on. Socovos, the final climb, crests just over 20 km from the finish, leaving room for a fast, technical run-in to Elche de la Sierra.
Rural Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia backroads carry the route, generally in good condition with light traffic outside of village centers. Expect open, rolling countryside with long sightlines and few technical descents — this is a stage where road surface is rarely a concern. Alcaraz itself has a compact historic center with limited parking, so arrive early or park on the outskirts and walk in.
Standard road gearing handles this stage comfortably — none of the three climbs exceeds 4.3%, so a compact crank with a 25 or 28-tooth cassette is plenty. This is more a day for aero efficiency and a well-organized group than specialized climbing gear, given the constant rolling terrain and moderate gradients throughout.
Alcaraz is a scenic detour off the main highways, roughly an hour and a half from Albacete city with its own regional airport connections. Elche de la Sierra sits further south toward Murcia, in a quieter rural stretch with fewer tourist services — plan lodging around Albacete or Hellín for the best options. This corner of Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia rewards travelers with dramatic gorge and reservoir scenery along the Río Mundo and Río Segura valleys.
ROUTE MAP
