Video: Irish pros about to get huge test up this barely surfaced mountain

Nicolas Roche, Dan Martin and Philip Deignan to do battle up this barely-surfaced climb reaching 22 per cent for their first summit finish of the year (Photo: Laura Meseguer)

With the final stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana underway at the time of writing, the clip below shows just how tough the final few kilometres is going to be.

Gradients reaching 22 per cent on the Mas de la Costa summit finish, with the steepest parts at the top, will be made even more testing by the fact the road looks bare-surfaced.

And because of the strong breezes, the finishing gantry - above - is being only partially constructed today just in case it catches the win and falls down.

Nicolas Roche’s BMC Racing team mate Greg Van Avermaet has the race lead, but with some of the best climbers in the world not far behind it looks like the stage and general classification will be theirs.

Dan Martin (QuickStep) is 10^th overall at 56 seconds, just two seconds behind Nairo Quintana (Movistar).

Roche is even better placed, in 5th overall and just 44 seconds off the race lead. And Philip Deignan (Team Sky) is 13^th, 1:05 off the yellow jersey.

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