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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)
In any case, the organisers ensured that the riders would be tired going into the first rest day, as the second Sunday featured a stage with six categorised climbs. The peloton rode along the Costa Blanca, on roads that are frequently used in winter.
These included the Coll de Rates and the steep El Miserat, before the riders battled it out for the stage victory on the Alto de Aitana: a 21.1-kilometre climb with an average gradient of 5.8 per cent. Pierre Latour last won there in the Vuelta in 2016, ahead of Robert Gesink, amongst others. This time, the victory went to Enric Mas, who thus did justice to his red leader’s jersey (taken over from Pogacar).
Winner:
Enric Mas (Movistar)
Read also
Rest day 1, Monday August 31
Stage 10, Tuesday, September 1: Alcaraz – Elche de la Sierra (184.0 km)
After a well-deserved rest day on the Costa Blanca, the riders get back on their bikes in a new month, September. They do so for a 184-kilometer transitional stage from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra, which came down to a reduced sprint. Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ) won it surprisingly.
Winner:
Stage 11, Wednesday, September 2: Cartagena – Lorca (151.3 km)
Stage 11 was, on paper, one of the easiest stages in this edition of the Vuelta a España. There was some climbing in the opening phase, and with the Alto de Morrion de Totana, a third-category climb awaited in the pre-final, but it instilled little fear in the sprinters, who had already made it to day 11. Visma | Lease a Bike did not win on day 10, but took revenge a day later with Matthew Brennan for his third.
Winner:
Stage 12, Thursday, September 3: Vera – Calar Alto (166.0 km)
A wonderful mountain stage! The breakaway riders sensed their chance and seized it with both hands. Wout van Aert collected mountain points, but it was Bahrain Victorious that dominated. Twenty-year-old Jakob Omrzel flew to the stage victory and climbed significantly in the general classification. Behind him, a rock-solid Enric Mas dealt another blow to his rivals.
Winner:
Read also
Stage 13, Friday, September 4: Almuñécar - Loja (192.8 km)
A day for the breakaway, or so it seemed – and so it was. From start to finish it was a magnificent spectacle, especially in the finale. It was Visma | Lease a Bike (with Matthew Brennan and Wout van Aert) against the rest, but it was the green jersey wearer who ultimately forced the pace. He then convincingly dealt with Valentin Paret-Peintre in the sprint.
Winner:
Stage 14, Saturday, September 5: Jaén - Sierra de La Pandera (154.5 km)
We head into the third weekend of the Vuelta a España with a new mountain stage. The route goes up and down all day, eventually arriving at the Sierra de la Pandera: an 8.5-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 7.9 percent. There, we witnessed a battle on two fronts: Marco Brenner won the stage, and Enric Mas retained the red jersey.
Winner:
Stage 15, Sunday, September 6: Palma del Río – Córdoba (184.0 km)
If we were to ask Wout van Aert and co to design an ideal stage for breakaway riders, it wouldn’t be all that different from the fifteenth stage of the Vuelta a España. It starts and finishes on flat terrain, but in between it’s mainly hills, hills and more hills.
However, the stage was significantly shortened due to the heat. Despite this, the Visma | Lease a Bike riders made it a tough race. In the final stretch, Van Aert then broke away with four strong riders. In the sprint, he ultimately got the better of Alessandro Romele and Thibau Nys.
Winner:
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Read also
Rest day, Monday September 7
Stage 16, Tuesday, September 8: Gortegana - La Rábida. Palos de la Frontera (181,1 km)
The third week of the Vuelta a España is generally known as extremely tough, but that does not exactly apply to this 16th stage of the race. However, we shouldn't completely underestimate the stage from Cortegana to La Rabida either, as there were quite a few climbs hidden in the first half. That didn't stop Brennan from his fourth stage victory in this race.
Winner:Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Stage 17, Wednesday, September 9: Dos Hermanas – Seville (189.0 km)
Copy-paste stage 16. The final Wednesday stage of the Vuelta a España, finishing in Seville, was also one for the fast men. Or rather: fast man, because Matthew Brennan won for the fifth time.
Winner:
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Read also
Stage 18, Thursday, September 10: El Puerto de San María – Jerez de la Frontera (32 km, time trial)
On day 18, the second individual time trial of the Vuelta a España was on the schedule. It was won by Stefan Küng of Tudor, while Enric Mas (Movistar) impressively managed to retain the lead.
Winner:
Stefan Küng (Tudor)
Stage 19, Friday, September 11: Vélez-Málaga – Peñas Blancas, Estepona (205.0 km)
The final weekend was approaching, which meant that Unipublic and the ASO were heading back to the mountains. On the last Friday, a long mountain stage of 205 kilometers was on the schedule, finishing at Penas Blancas Estepona.
This climb was 18.7 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.5 percent. We last finished there in 2022, when Richard Carapaz managed to keep Wilco Kelderman from winning. This time, Eddie Dunbar won from the breakaway, and the general classification contenders didn’t manage to break away from each other.
Winner
Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello-Q36.5)
Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello-Q36.5)
Read also
Stage 20, Saturday, September 12: La Calahora – Collado de Alguacil (187.0 km)
This is what we call a queen stage. Spread out over 187 kilometers, the riders had to climb more than 5,000 meters of elevation in the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a España, much of it on fairly steep gradients. Mikel Landa came back from the dead to win, while Enric Mas secured his overall victory.
Winner
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Stage 21, Sunday, September 13: 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.
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
- If he finished ninth at the Tour, why didn’t he get a stage win too? I’m still trying to understand how the overall standings work.julien11-11-2026
- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Does XEFI’s investment mean the team will have more money to sign riders, or is it mainly a sponsorship and naming change? And is Roglič expected to race much next season?jeremya11-11-2026
- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
- Wuling is no joke—105 km of climbing to 3,275 metres is brutal. Five minutes off Dyball’s record is still an incredible ride.velodromevirtuoso111-11-2026
- Roglič at TotalEnergies would be a fascinating move, but Heulot sounds pretty clear that it isn’t happening. His experience could be a massive boost for the younger riders, though.jennifer1911-11-2026
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026