2026 Vuelta a España Stage 19 preview | Temperatures are dropping, but the stakes (and the final climb) are soaring!

The Vuelta a España is nearing its conclusion, but the riders won’t reach Granada without a fight. On Friday Sept 11th, the first leg of a grueling two-day stage is on the schedule, finishing at Penas Blancas. IDL Pro Cycling brings you the details.

We’ve already visited most of the cities in southern Spain, but Málaga was still missing from that list. That is, until Friday, when we set out from Vélez-Málaga, located just east of that popular city-break destination. After 23 kilometers, we’ll pass by that spot as well.

The riders will have plenty to take in there, because a good 50 kilometers later, the climbing begins from Alozaina. The Puerto Las Abajes (14.6 kilometers at a 4.3 percent gradient) is the first of a total of three categorized climbs. Shortly after that come the Puerto de los Empedrados (7.1 kilometers at a 5.8 percent grade) and the Puerto Cerro Mojon (3.8 kilometers at a 5.4 percent grade).

These climbs are all located in a 50-kilometer hilly section in the middle of the stage and are followed by a long descent into San Pedro de Alcántara. We then pass through Marbella and Estepona, where the base of the final climb to Peñas Blancas is located.

At 18.8 kilometers with a 6.5 percent grade, this climb can be described as serious, as you can also see on the map below from ClimbFinder. It starts off fairly gently, and after 4 to 6 kilometers there’s a chance to catch your breath, but after that it’s a steady climb all the way to the finish.

The Vuelta last finished here in 2022, and Richard Carapaz took the victory that year. The Ecuadorian, who is also competing in this year's Vuelta, beat Wilco Kelderman back then.

Times
Start: 12:05 p.m.
Finish: 5:30 p.m.

The riders' wishes have been granted: it's a little cooler in Spain. Temperatures on Friday will be around 25 degrees Celsius, which is pleasant for mid-September.

The question for every mountain stage in the Vuelta a España is: breakaway or general classification? Judging by the most recent stages with the toughest climbs, you’re inclined to go for the breakaway. Last Saturday, on the Sierra de la Pandera, no fewer than twenty riders from the breakaway stayed ahead of the first general classification rider.

During that stage, the Uno-X riders deliberately held back due to the dangers of racing in temperatures nearing 40 degrees, but in recent days they’ve been back in full force. So if it comes down to a battle for the lead group, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Andreas Leknessund and Tobias Halland Johannessen once again.

The same goes for King of the Mountains Santiago Buitrago, who is still looking for his stage win with Bahrain Victorious. On Saturday, he was narrowly beaten by Marco Brenner of Tudor, who has also regained his form. Riders like Jarno Widar ( Lotto-Intermarché), Eddie Dunbar (Pinarello), Joao Almeida (UAE), and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) are also waiting for that day when everything clicks.

Looking at the general classification, Enric Mas has stood out so far on behalf of Movistar. Felix Gall and Decathlon CMA CGM have been the most active so far when it comes to chasing down breakaways, but after Jordan Labrosse and Gregor Mühlberger dropped out, they, too, seem to have hit a lull.

Riders who have proven they can deliver in the final stretch of a Grand Tour include Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), with the latter having already experienced victory on Penas Blancas. Will one of them go all out, or will they save their energy for Saturday’s even tougher stage?

At Visma | Lease a Bike, all eyes will be on Sepp Kuss and—why not?—Wout van Aert, while general classification contenders such as Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Jakob Ormzel (Bahrain), Cristian Rodriguez, Harold Tejada (XDS-Astana), and Clement Berthet (Groupama-FDJ) will be locked in a tight battle for the general classification.

Top Favorites: Enric Mas (Movistar) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X)
Dark horses: Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), and Marco Brenner (Tudor)
Long shots: Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), and Jakob Ormzel (Bahrain Victorious)