2026 Vuelta a España stage 16 preview: Visma Holds the Key to Victory in Spain Once Again | Lease a Bike

After the rest day, the Vuelta a España continues on Tuesday with another flat stage. The sprinters will get one of their few chances in the Spanish stage race, as the final stretch toward La Rabida is fairly flat. *In the Leader’s Jersey* breaks down what you can expect!

The start in Cartagena is pretty much the highest point of the day, and that really says it all about the nature of this stage, which stands in stark contrast to what we’ll be facing later in the final week of the Vuelta a España.

From Cortagena, we head toward the coast, which takes us over a few hills. However, none of the climbs are longer than a few kilometers, so at most, this will mainly influence the formation of a strong breakaway group.

After a good hundred kilometers, the climb is over and the riders are gradually getting a sense of the coast. With about ten kilometers to go, the riders can almost touch the seawater, but they make another turn.

The last few kilometers run parallel to the coastline, before you have to turn right at a roundabout—as shown in the photo below—under the sign. Another roundabout follows 400 meters further on, with a slight left turn. That’s also when the finish line first comes into view.

Times
Start: 1:05 p.m.
Finish: 5:30 p.m.

It will be hot again on Tuesday in southern Spain. The temperature will rise above 30 degrees Celsius, but it is not expected to be as extreme as it was on Sunday. The wind won't be too strong either.

Even before the stage began, this was already seen as the perfect opportunity for the sprinters, and little has changed in that regard. That means we’re highlighting Matthew Brennan of Visma | Lease a Bike as the clear favorite. The Brit has already won several stages and could put his fast legs to work again on Tuesday. Or will the Dutch team surprise everyone by going for Wout van Aert or launching an attack with him?

The absence of Christophe Laporte will certainly be felt by the Dutch team, which actually opens up opportunities for other fast riders. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), for example, who is perhaps the closest to Brennan in terms of pure sprint speed.

Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ) and Bryan Coquard ( Cofidis) have already won stages in a sprint, and that will also serve as motivation for those French teams.

Other riders who had already made their presence felt in the early breakaways included Alessandro Romele ( XDS-Astana), Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious), David Gonzalez (Pinarello-Q36.5), Axel Laurance ( Netcompany INEOS), Orluis Aular (Movistar), and Hugo Hofstetter of NSN.

On the other hand, there are also sprinters who have come to the Vuelta specifically for this day or these days. Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché), Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious), Cesar Macias ( Burgos-BH), and Marc Brustenga ( Equipo Kern Pharma) have all marked this stage as a key one.

Top Favorites: Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Dark horses: Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Alessandro Romele (XDS-Astana), Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step), and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike),
Long shots: Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché), Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious), Bastien Tronchon (Groupama-FDJ), Cesar Macias (Burgos-BH), Marc Brustenga (Equipo Kern Pharma), Orluis Aular (Movistar), and Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS)