The Holy Cave of Covadonga
The Santa Cueva de Covadonga, the Holy Cave of Covadonga is hidden in the rocks above the church near the foot of the climb. The name Covadonga is derived from the Latin cova dominica – literally cave of the lady, in this case the Virgin of Covadonga, around whom assorted myths involving a hermit, a swarm of bees and local villains continue to be told.
It’s place at the Vuelta a España
World number one Bernard Hinault took the inaugural race up to the top of the Lagos in 1983. Wrongly named the Lagos de Enol before the race after the summit finish journalists also ladled it the Lagos de Hinault. Historic moments have since been a regular occurrence at Lagos de Covadonga, with likely Spain’s best and most highly valued rider in the 1980s, Pedro Delgado, who had laid out the foundations for the success in Vuelta in 1985 here, and also winning latter in 1992 at the Lagos. Furthermore, Lucho Herrera, a Colombian cyclist, was also victorious at the Lagos. Finally, the last spurt of victories was by the French Laurent Jalabert in 1994 and 1996 which confirmed his incredible transformation starting from a sprinter to a climber.
The foot of the climb was also where legendary Miguel Indurain climbed off his bike competitively for the last time.