La Vuelta Ciclista a España

The route is new every year: 21 stages and two rest days, and between about 3,100 and 3,340 kilometers from 2021 to 2026. The 2026 race started in Monaco and finished in Granada, 3,275 kilometers with six mountain stages, four medium-mountain stages and two individual time trials. Its summit finishes include the Angliru, 12.4 kilometers at 9.8 percent with stretches above 20 percent, the Bola del Mundo, 12.3 kilometers at 8.6 percent, and Lagos de Covadonga, 12.5 kilometers at 6.9 percent. In 2023 the race crossed into France to finish on the Col du Tourmalet.

The central tension of La Vuelta 2026 is not just who climbs best, but who can absorb Monaco and Jerez, handle the heat and repeated summit finishes in Spain, and still arrive in Granada with enough sharpness left to finish the race on the front foot.