2026 Vuelta a España route | A monstrously tough stage 9 route for a (now) very exciting race
CyclingSunday, 30 August 2026 at 14:45
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Follow us on GoogleThe Vuelta a España, the final Grand Tour of 2026, is already just around the corner. After Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar asserted their supremacy at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France respectively, not everyone is expecting an especially close battle in Spain. That will certainly not be the fault of the route, however, because the organizers have put together a spectacular course.
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Route, stage favorites, and times for the 2026 Vuelta a España
Stage 1, Saturday, August 22: Monaco – Monaco (9.4 km, individual time trial)
It was a spectacular race in Monaco, and for a long time it looked as though Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) was on his way to victory in the principality. But Tadej Pogacar is Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian was just nine hundredths of a second faster and immediately claimed the red jersey in his hometown.
Stage 2, Sunday, August 23: Monaco – Manosque (214.0 km)
On day two, we were immediately faced with the longest stage of the entire race. We started in Monaco, heading toward Provence. After a hilly 215-kilometer stage, the finish line was in Manosque, with the final kilometer featuring a fairly steep climb. Matthew Brennan took the win, while Tadej Pogacar finished third and retained the red jersey.
Stage 3, Monday, August 24: Gruissan - Font Romeo (174.0 km)
On day three of the Vuelta a España, we headed into the high mountains for the first time, with a finish in Font Romeu. However... we never made it there, because in the final 20 kilometers, hail and lightning made it irresponsible to continue racing. The peloton had to take shelter, and so there was no stage winner.
Winner: Stage abandoned
Stage 4, Tuesday, August 25: Andorra - Andorra (104.8 km)
A short but explosive ride in Andorra, with climbing from start to finish. Tadej Pogacar launched his attack fifty kilometers from the finish and was master of the Pyrenees: he gained minutes on his rivals.
Winner:
Tadej Pogačar
Stage 5, Wednesday, August 26: Falset, Costa Daurada – Roquetes, Terres de l'Ebre (173.4 km)
A relatively flat stage, but the plains in Spain are never completely flat. A hilly finish made it difficult for the fastest men. A somewhat thinned-out peloton headed to the finish line, but Visma | Lease a Bike was still at full strength. Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte delivered Matthew Brennan perfectly, who took his second victory this week.
Winner:
Matthew Brennan
Stage 6, Thursday, August 27: Alcossebre - Castello (176.0 km)
'A fun stage', is how course designer Fernando Escartin described the sixth stage of the Vuelta a España. And as he’s not averse to throwing in a little challenge here and there, you know he means it. This time, he included a three-kilometre section on gravel on the day’s final climb.
Tadej Pogacar once again made the most of it, but this time faced a challenge from Enric Mas. Mas was eventually beaten at the finish line, however.
Winner:
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Stage 7, Friday, August 28: Vall d'Alba – Aramón Valdelinares (149.8 km)
Escartin just keeps racking up the altitude metres. Stage 7 could also be classified as a mountain stage, as the final 50 kilometres climbed more or less in a straight line towards Aramon Valdelmares. The sting was in the tail, however, as the final 8.3 kilometres featured an average gradient of 6.5 per cent.
We’d finished on this climb once before in the Vuelta a España: in 2014, Winner Anacona won there from the breakaway. This time it was once again the breakaway riders who took the honours, with a strong Wout van Aert, but it was Andreas Leknessund who took the win for Uno-X Mobility.
Winner:
Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility)
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Stage 8, Saturday, August 29: Pucol - Xeraco (168.0 km)
A true sprinter’s stage, so it seemed as though everything was going smoothly. But there were plenty of crashes, the biggest of which occurred 33 kilometres from the finish. Tadej Pogacar was caught up in it and couldn’t continue: the race had to carry on without the red jersey wearer. In the sprint, Bryan Coquard was just too quick for Mads Pedersen: after 39 top-10 finishes, he claimed his first victory in a Grand Tour.
Winner:
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis)
Stage 9, Sunday, August 30: Villajoyosa – Alto de Aitana (187.0 km)
The organizers will at least ensure that the riders enter the first rest day with tired legs, because the second Sunday of the Vuelta features six categorized climbs. The peloton travels along the Costa Blanca on roads frequently used by professional riders during their winter training camps.
The route includes the Coll de Rates and the steep El Miserat before the riders fight for victory on the Alto de Aitana, a 21.1-kilometer climb averaging 5.8 percent. Pierre Latour won the most recent Vuelta finish there in 2016, finishing ahead of riders including Robert Gesink.
Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Times
Start: 12:26 p.m.
Finish: 5:20 p.m.
Start: 12:26 p.m.
Finish: 5:20 p.m.
Rest day 1, Monday August 31
Stage 10, Tuesday, September 1: Alcaraz – Elche de la Sierra (184.0 km)
Following a well-earned rest day on the Costa Blanca, the riders return to their bikes at the beginning of a new month. They face a 184.7-kilometer transition stage from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra, with several possible race scenarios.
The most likely outcome appears to be an opportunity for the Classics-style riders. A 1.7-kilometer climb at 5.5 percent is followed by a short descent and a final three kilometers that rise at approximately 3.3 percent, making the finish ideal for the strongest sprinters.
Favorites
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 1:00 p.m.
Finish: 5:18 p.m.
Start: 1:00 p.m.
Finish: 5:18 p.m.
Stage 11, Wednesday, September 2: Cartagena – Lorca (151.3 km)
On paper, Stage 11 is one of the easiest days in this edition of the Vuelta a España. There is some climbing during the opening part of the stage, while the Alto del Morrón de Totana provides a third-category obstacle in the run-in toward the finish. However, it is unlikely to frighten the sprinters who have survived the race’s first 10 days.
Favorites
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 2:08 p.m.
Finish: 5:21 p.m.
Start: 2:08 p.m.
Finish: 5:21 p.m.
Stage 12, Thursday, September 3: Vera – Calar Alto (166.0 km)
The riders return to the Spanish mountains on day 12. The stage begins in Vera, and a strong breakaway group is likely to form across the first three climbs. After approximately 20 kilometers through the valley, the stage concludes with two first-category ascents.
The Alto de Velefique comes first and measures 11 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.0 percent. The finish is then located on the irregular Calar Alto, which is 17 kilometers long at 5.5 percent and is not necessarily the most destructive summit finish on the route. Miguel Ángel López won the most recent Vuelta stage to finish there, in 2017.
Favorites
Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché)
Pablo Castrillo (Movistar)
Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché)
Pablo Castrillo (Movistar)
Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step)
Times
Start: 1:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:17 p.m.
Start: 1:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:17 p.m.
Stage 13, Friday, September 4: Almuñécar - Loja (192.8 km)
The outcome of Stage 13 may depend heavily on how the opening part of the race develops. After approximately 20 kilometers, the riders begin the 14.1-kilometer ascent through Los Guájares, which has an average gradient of 5.1 percent. The road does not immediately descend on the other side, with the main descent only arriving after approximately 85 kilometers of racing.
The Puerto de Granada provides another obstacle during the second half of the stage. Taken together, the profile appears to offer an excellent opportunity for the breakaway.
Favorites
Ivan Romeo (Movistar)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Ivan Romeo (Movistar)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 12:41 p.m.
Finish: 5:16 p.m.
Start: 12:41 p.m.
Finish: 5:16 p.m.
Stage 14, Saturday, September 5: Jaén - Sierra de La Pandera (154.5 km)
The third weekend of the Vuelta begins with another mountain stage. The route rises and falls throughout the day before concluding on the Sierra de La Pandera, an 8.5-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 7.9 percent.
The Vuelta most recently finished here in 2022, when Richard Carapaz claimed victory. Earlier winners on the climb include Rafał Majka in 2017, Damiano Cunego in 2009, Andrey Kashechkin in 2006, Alejandro Valverde in 2003 and Roberto Heras in 2002. That is an impressive list.
Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 1:33 p.m.
Finish: 5:19 p.m.
Start: 1:33 p.m.
Finish: 5:19 p.m.
Stage 15, Sunday, September 6: Palma del Río – Córdoba (184.0 km)
If Wout van Aert and the other breakaway specialists were asked to design their ideal stage, it might look a great deal like Stage 15 of this Vuelta a España. The beginning and end are relatively flat, but between those two sections the riders encounter hill after hill after hill.
The finish is in Córdoba, where Van Aert won one of his three Vuelta stages two years ago. Magnus Cort, who triumphed in Córdoba in 2021, is also expected to return.
Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Magnus Cort (Uno-X)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Magnus Cort (Uno-X)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 12:46 p.m.
Finish: 5:17 p.m.
Start: 12:46 p.m.
Finish: 5:17 p.m.
Stage 16, Tuesday, September 7: - (km)
The third week of the Vuelta a España is normally known for being exceptionally demanding, but that description does not immediately apply to Stage 16. The riders should not underestimate the route from Cortegana to La Rábida, however, because the opening half still contains a considerable amount of climbing before the flatter run toward the coast.
Favorites
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Times
Start: 1:18 p.m.
Finish: 5:19 p.m.
Start: 1:18 p.m.
Finish: 5:19 p.m.
Stage 17, Wednesday, September 8: Dos Hermanas – Seville (189.0 km)
This could almost be a copy-and-paste version of Stage 16. The final Wednesday stage of the Vuelta, finishing in Seville, also appears to be designed for the fast men. However, the last week of a Grand Tour can occasionally transform such a stage into the final ideal opportunity for a powerful breakaway. The fact that the closing days take place entirely in the heat of southern Spain could also add to the riders’ accumulated fatigue.
Favorites
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)
Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)
Times
Start: 1:24 p.m.
Finish: 5:20 p.m.
Start: 1:24 p.m.
Finish: 5:20 p.m.
Stage 18, Thursday, September 9: El Puerto de San María – Jerez de la Frontera (32 km, time trial)
The second individual time trial of the Vuelta a España takes place on day 18. This time, the riders face 32 kilometers toward Jerez de la Frontera on predominantly flat roads.
Favorites
Jay Vine (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Jay Vine (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Times
Start: 2:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:30 p.m.
Start: 2:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:30 p.m.
Stage 19, Friday, September 10: Vélez-Málaga – Peñas Blancas, Estepona (205.0 km)
The final weekend is approaching, which means Unipublic and ASO are heading back into the mountains. The last Friday of the race features a long, 210-kilometer stage that concludes at Peñas Blancas near Estepona.
The finishing climb measures 18.7 kilometers and has an average gradient of 6.5 percent. The Vuelta most recently finished there in 2022, when Richard Carapaz held off Wilco Kelderman to take the victory.
Favorites
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Steff Cras (Soudal Quick-Step)
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Steff Cras (Soudal Quick-Step)
Times
Start: 12:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:14 p.m.
Start: 12:07 p.m.
Finish: 5:14 p.m.
Stage 20, Saturday, September 11: La Calahora – Collado de Alguacil (187.0 km)
This is what we call a queen stage. Across 187 kilometers in the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a España, the riders must overcome more than 5,000 meters of elevation gain, much of it on roads with extremely demanding gradients.
The climbing is spread across two ascents of the Alto de Hazallanas, measuring 7.3 kilometers at 9.5 percent, the Puerto del Purche, 8.4 kilometers at 8.0 percent, and the final climb to the Collado del Alguacil, which averages 10 percent across 8.3 kilometers.
Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Times
Start: TBD
Finish: TBD
Start: TBD
Finish: TBD
Stage 21, Sunday, September 12: Carrefour Granada – Granada (99.4 km)
The Vuelta a España will not finish in Madrid. That decision is not related to the disturbances surrounding last year’s race but instead to the Formula 1 event being held in the Spanish capital. The Vuelta therefore travels farther south for its conclusion in Granada.
The riders start beside Carrefour Granada before finishing at the Alhambra after 99 kilometers—a striking contrast between the beginning and end of the stage. It is also a genuinely entertaining finishing circuit, with a 1.6-kilometer hill averaging seven percent providing the final obstacle of the entire race. It could produce a Paris-style finale.
Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: Not yet announced
Finish: Not yet announced
Start: Not yet announced
Finish: Not yet announced
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Not sure I buy the “nobody’s fault” line entirely. Course safety has to be better. A world champ face-planting on a stray stone isn’t just bad luck. Where were the motos and commissaires?julien29-08-2026
- - Matxin handled that interview with class. No blame game, just honesty. Cycling’s brutal — one second you’re flying, next you’re in an ambulance. Ánimo Tadej, vuelve fuerte.velodromevirtuoso129-08-2026
- - Quick question: when they said a rock on the road caused it near the finish, isn’t the run-in supposed to be swept by organisers? How common is that this late in a stage?cadencekingm29-08-2026
- - Gutted for Pogi. Shoulder injuries can be tricky — if it’s AC joint or collarbone, Worlds might be tight. Fingers crossed it’s just heavy contusions and those eyebrow stitches are minor.jeremya29-08-2026
- - Brutal day. You could see the whole UAE train soft-pedalling after the crash — pure respect to ride in as a group behind Coquard by 11’. Says a lot about team unity.samanthak29-08-2026
- - Love Brennan’s candour though. Two stage wins already, he’s earned the right to speak. Reset, recover, and pick a cleaner run-in later in the week. Go on lad!cadencekingm29-08-2026
- - Bit rich to call others “superheroes” when you also dive for gaps in sprints. Feels like excuses after missing the wheel. Own the positioning error—Laporte and WvA can’t do everything.patriciaw29-08-2026
- - Pogacar down, DNFs before the start, pile-up in the last km… safety protocols need a look. Barriers and road furniture on these Spanish urban finishes are brutal. UCI y la organización, por favor, más seguridad.bikebuffj29-08-2026
- - Can someone explain what “pedaling at 160 watts” means in this context? Is that like super easy pace for these guys? Trying to understand why there were still so many crashes if it was “easy.”davidm29-08-2026
- - Wild stage. Brennan’s quotes hit hard but he’s not wrong—finale was a bowling alley. Tenth after all that chaos isn’t catastrophic, but Visma’s train never properly formed once he lost Laporte’s wheel.sprocketspiny29-08-2026
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