You’re not quite out of the woods yet, but after six straight stages of climbing, stage 270 offers a tiny bit of hope that better days lie just around the corner: after another ten miles of climbing on this stage, that is. The stage heads due south, hugging the Donghe road as it does so, and picks up the line of the railway at halfway after the latter has completed a long detour to avoid the worst of the gradients of the previous mountain climbs.
The rollout is downhill for four miles, bottoming out in Tumu’ertai town where the road runs flat for a further mile. Then the long hill kicks in: it’s never steep, but a hundred and fifty feet over ten miles will definitely feel like a bit of a slog. The route passes through Aguitu at thirteen miles, two thirds of the way up the climb, then passes over the Erguang highway soon after. The top of the climb is at fourteen miles where the bike route, the railway and both highways all merge at the highest elevation of the stage: just over five thousand one hundred feet.
Over the top there’s a short fast descent to a junction on the railway line at eighteen miles: that’s where the line from Hongge’ertu to the west of the road joins the main lime heading south. Then there’s a short rise as the route snakes right and left before a long descent sets you up for a flat final couple of miles into the finish.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 489 feet / 149 metres
RGT Magic Road: kOfiNosfeWub
Max elevation: 5156 ft
Min elevation: 4800 ft
Total climbing: 488 ft
Total descent: -799 ft
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