2026 Vuelta a España stage 12 preview | Tactically, perhaps the most interesting climb of the entire race

We’ve had two flatter stages, and of course the organisers of the Vuelta a España aren’t used to that. So, on Thursday, another mountain stage is on the schedule. Finishing at Calar Alto, it's an opportunity for breakaway riders or the general classification contenders. IDL Pro cycling brings you everything you need to know.

Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España will start in Vera, which is not far from the coast. However, we won’t be touching the sea, as Unipublic has planned a route inland and uphill for the first Thursday in September.

The ride starts off gently, but by the end of the route, the riders will have clocked more than 4,500 meters of elevation gain. Starting from Vera—which sits at an elevation of 115 meters—an 85-kilometer ride takes us all the way to the top of the Collado Garcia, at an elevation of 1,240 meters. The route involves several climbs with relatively gentle gradients, but fatigue can still creep into your legs along the way.

Next, we’ll head back down into the valley for a bit, after which Velefique looms ahead. This climb—the second-to-last and toughest of the day—is 13.1 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.2% and features a particularly steep start. If any team is looking to make a move, this stage—with sections exceeding 10 percent—is likely the best place to do so.

As you approach the summit, the road levels out a bit, followed by a short descent to Bacares. That’s where the final climb to Calar Alto begins, which we can describe as even more irregular. For example, at kilometer 3 there’s a section with a gradient of over 11 percent, but between kilometers 6 and 13 there are also two kilometers of downhill.

In total, the climb is 17 kilometers at a 5.6 percent gradient, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Anyone who wants to make a difference in the final stretch will have to do so at the 3-kilometer mark before the finish: there, the gradient rises to 9.5 percent, after which the final two kilometers toward the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory are nothing more than a slight incline.

We’ve reached Calar Alto three times before. In 2017, Miguel Angel Lopez won, ahead of Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, and Wilco Kelderman. Before that, a Spaniard had won twice: Igor Anton (2006) and Roberto Heras (2004).

Times
Start: 1:07 p.m CET
Finish: 5:30 p.m CET

It's another hot day in southern Spain, where temperatures will reach over 20 degrees Celsius even at an elevation of 2,150 meters.

The final climb to Calar Alto is an interesting one. On Sunday, during the stage to Alto de Aitana—which Enric Mas won—we saw a lot of tactical maneuvering among the general classification contenders, but they kept catching up to each other time and time again. If we see another stop-and-go situation on Calar Alto, riders who break away will disappear from view more quickly, and it will take relatively more energy to catch them than on steeper gradients.

At the same time, it gives the faster riders—on a flatter finish—an advantage. Normally, Oscar Onley ( Netcompany INEOS) would always be faster than Enric Mas (Movistar), but on Sunday, on the steep final kilometer, it turned out to be the other way around. Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) also finds a finish that suits him better.

Riders who are a little further back, such as Jarno Widar ( Lotto-Intermarché) or the XDS-Astana duo of Harold Tejada and Cristian Rodriguez, can then try to capitalize on the jockeywork among the podium contenders.

Richard Carapaz ( EF Education-EasyPost), Mattias Skjelmose ( Lidl-Trek), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Felix Gall ( Decathlon CMA CGM) will also be competing, with the first two riders typically possessing a fierce finishing kick.

What about the breakaway riders? On Sunday, we saw that Movistar was planning to let the breakaway group ride, but then Decathlon CMA CGM took over. Afterward, that team made it clear that not everything had gone according to plan, so that might open up opportunities again for riders like Tobias Halland Johannessen, Andreas Leknessund ( Uno-X), and mountains jersey holder Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious).

Other riders eyeing that route include Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Guillaume Martin, Clement Berthet (Groupama-FDJ), Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Filippo Zana ( Soudal Quick-Step), Pavel Sivakov, and Jay Vine (UAE Emirates-XRG), who has been relatively inconspicuous so far.

Top Favorites: Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X)
Dark horses: Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Enric Mas (Movistar), and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Harold Tejada, Cristian Rodriguez (XDS-Astana), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM), Jay Vine, and Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates-XRG)