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Three days of early-season racing in southeastern Spain

Vuelta a la Región de Murcia

A compact stage race in Murcia that sorts climbers and all-rounders before the spring calendar begins in earnest.

Open 2026 edition Winners
Location
🇪🇸 Spain
When
Mid February
Course
Stage Race
Most recent winner
🇪🇸 Marc Soler (2026)
Also known as
Vuelta a Murcia
Category
Men’s Continental

About Vuelta a la Región de Murcia

Vuelta a la Región de Murcia is a three-day men's cycling stage race held each February in southeastern Spain. The route typically includes punchy climbs, exposed valley roads, and a summit finish or two that separate the field early in the season.

Also known as: Vuelta a Murcia · Vuelta a la Region de Murcia Costa Calida

First run in 1981, this southeastern Spanish classic has a history of winners that includes many of the sport's greatest grand tour champions.

This is one of the first European stage races of the year, and it draws riders looking to test winter form before the Classics and stage-race campaigns begin. The terrain around Murcia rewards climbers who can handle short, steep gradients and crosswinds, and the compact format means there is little room to recover from a bad day.

Vuelta a la Región de Murcia winners

YearWinner
2026🇪🇸Marc Soler
2025🇨🇭Fabio Christen
2024🇦🇺Ben O'Connor
2023🇬🇧Ben Turner
2022🇮🇹Alessandro Covi
2021🇪🇸Jesus Antonio Soto
2020🇧🇪Xandro Meurisse
2019🇪🇸Luis Leon Sanchez
2018🇪🇸Luis Leon Sanchez
2017🇪🇸Alejandro Valverde

2026 edition

This edition is complete.

Vuelta a la Región de Murcia route

The race usually includes at least one summit finish and several stages with rolling or punchy terrain that favor aggressive racing over pure time-trialing or sprinting. The climbs are rarely long enough to suit pure mountain specialists, but they are steep and exposed enough to create selection. Crosswinds can split the peloton on valley roads, and the final general classification often comes down to a hilltop finish on the last day. Teams with strong all-rounders or puncheur-climbers tend to control the race, and breakaways succeed when the favorites hesitate or the wind disrupts the chase.

What shapes the race

  1. Format evolution

    The race has changed format multiple times: five stages originally, scaled down to one-day (2013 to 2018), then back to two stages (2019 onward).

  2. Early-career signals

    Both Pedro Delgado (1981 inaugural winner) and Miguel Indurain (1986) won early in their careers, before their Grand Tour breakthroughs.

Signature landmarks

  1. Terrain

    Region of Murcia / Costa Calida

    The warm Mediterranean coastal region that hosts the race and gives it the Costa Calida subtitle.

History

Memorable editions

  1. 1981

    Delgado wins the first

    Pedro Delgado won the inaugural edition as an amateur, before going on to win the Tour de France and two Vueltas.

  2. 1986

    Young Indurain's early victory

    Miguel Indurain won the race, marking his first major professional victory before five consecutive Tour de France titles.

Iconic victories

  1. Alejandro Valverde

    All-time record 5 wins. The Murcian champion on home roads.

  2. Pedro Delgado

    Inaugural winner (1981), later Tour de France and Vuelta champion.

  3. Miguel Indurain

    1986 winner, first major victory before five Tour de France titles.

  4. Luis Leon Sanchez

    Back-to-back winner (2018, 2019), local Murcian talent.

Eras and records

First held in 1981. Both Pedro Delgado and Miguel Indurain won early career editions.

  1. Most wins

    Alejandro Valverde, 5.

  2. Career launchpad

    Delgado (1981) and Indurain (1986) both won before their Grand Tour careers.