The Vuelta a España is a 21-day road cycling race in Spain … 3153 kilometres (1959 miles). It starts on Saturday, and I’m ready with my TV remote!

This year seven of the stages cross or end on high mountain passes.

Stage 17 on September 13 finishes atop the feared Alto de l’Angliru. It’s 12.5 kilometres (7.8 miles) of climbing, with a total gain in altitude of 1266 metres (4,154 feet). The average gradient is 10.1%, with the maximum slope 24%!

Let those numbers sink in. How can human beings do what these 176 riders are about to?

To help you, here’s a photo of one of the steepest sections of the Angliru:

And just for fun, here’s one more:

Riding a bike is no longer part of my life. I’ve made my peace with that. But I have the soul of a cyclist. I will watch the pumping legs on TV. I will see the mouths sucking air on the climbs, the sweat pouring off the foreheads.

And I will celebrate giving everything you’ve got

In your passion of choice