Tour of Burgos 2026 | Without doubt the key preparation race for the Vuelta a España
CyclingTuesday, 04 August 2026 at 09:57
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Follow us on GoogleThe Tour de France has only just finished, but in three weeks’ time the peloton will already be racing at the Vuelta a España. Based on the quality of its start list, the Tour of Burgos can be described as the most important preparation race for this year’s Spanish Grand Tour. That gives IDL Pro Cycling every reason to look ahead to the five days of racing in northern Spain.
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This week in Burgos, the riders are searching for a successor to Isaac del Toro, who took control of the race for UAE Emirates-XRG last season. The recent roll of honor is dominated by major names, including Grand Tour winners Sepp Kuss, Remco Evenepoel, Mikel Landa and Alberto Contador.
Recent winners of the Tour of Burgos
2025 Isaac del Toro
2024 Sepp Kuss
2023 Primož Roglič
2022 Pavel Sivakov
2021 Mikel Landa
2020 Remco Evenepoel
2019 Iván Ramiro Sosa
2018 Iván Ramiro Sosa
2017 Mikel Landa
2016 Alberto Contador
2024 Sepp Kuss
2023 Primož Roglič
2022 Pavel Sivakov
2021 Mikel Landa
2020 Remco Evenepoel
2019 Iván Ramiro Sosa
2018 Iván Ramiro Sosa
2017 Mikel Landa
2016 Alberto Contador
Tour of Burgos 2026: Route, stage favorites and times
Stage 1, Tuesday, August 4: Gumiel de Izán – Burgos (165.0 km)
The opening stage of the Tour of Burgos finishes in Burgos itself, beside the city’s castle on the Alto del Castillo. As was the case last year, the final kilometer rises at an average gradient of 6.1 percent. Roger Adrià won here in 2025 after an unpredictable and chaotic finale.
Isaac del Toro and Giulio Ciccone played the leading roles that day. The two major favorites were racing side by side for the stage victory when they both crashed onto the road. Adrià took full advantage and raced to the win, although the riders involved in the crash fortunately escaped without serious consequences.
Favorites
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 12:54 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 12:54 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Stage 2, Wednesday, August 5: Arcos de la Llana – Pineda de la Sierra (178.0 km)
There is very little time for the riders to ease themselves into the Tour of Burgos, because the second day immediately brings a serious uphill finish. The stage ends at Pineda de la Sierra following a 3.5-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 7.6 percent, creating an early opportunity for the general-classification contenders to test one another.
Favorites
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 12:30 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 12:30 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Stage 3, Thursday, August 6: Excavaciones Mikel – Balneario de Corconte (184.0 km)
The riders will also need to bring their climbing legs on stage three. There are seven categorized climbs along the route, and on Thursday the real sting is very clearly found in the tail of the stage.
The Puerto del Escudo is the final major obstacle. At seven kilometers in length and an average gradient of nine percent, it is a substantial and potentially decisive climb. Once the riders reach the summit, they descend for several more kilometers toward the finish in Balneario de Corconte.
Times
Start: 12:09 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 12:09 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Stage 4, Friday, August 7: Palazuelos de Muñó – Briviesca (178.0 km)
On paper, the fourth stage of the Tour of Burgos is the route best suited to the sprinters in the field. The riders will still need to overcome several obstacles on the way to the finish in Briviesca, but none of them appears difficult enough to remove all of the fast men from contention before the expected sprint.
Favorites
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies)
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies)
Times
Start: 12:36 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 12:36 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Stage 5, Saturday, August 8: Caleruega – Lagunas de Neila (137.0 km)
As has become traditional, the Tour of Burgos finishes at Lagunas de Neila, and the 2026 edition is no exception. The six-kilometer finishing climb, averaging 9.9 percent, provides an ideal test ahead of the difficult ascents that will follow later this month at the Vuelta a España. In many editions, the winner of this final stage has also secured overall victory.
Times
Start: 1:14 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 1:14 PM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Favorites for the 2026 Tour of Burgos general classification
What a start list! Judging by the riders heading to Burgos, this race has won the battle to become the most important Vuelta a España preparation event. Lidl-Trek’s Giulio Ciccone may be the leading favorite, with the Italian finding an ideal combination of explosive finishes and longer climbs on the roads of northern Spain.
Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM returns to competition after finishing second at the Giro d’Italia. Several other riders who completed the Italian Grand Tour are also back in action, including Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Afonso Eulálio of Bahrain Victorious, Enric Mas of Movistar and Mathys Rondel of Tudor.
There are also contenders who have not yet raced a Grand Tour this season. Visma | Lease a Bike, for example, arrives with a young team led by Ben Tulett and Jørgen Nordhagen, giving both riders an opportunity to take responsibility in a demanding stage race.
More young talent can be found in Jarno Widar of Lotto-Intermarché, Luke Tuckwell of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe — who finished second at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes — and Tour de l’Ain winner Markel Beloki of EF Education-EasyPost.
Riders such as Oscar Onley and Carlos Rodríguez of Netcompany INEOS, Clément Berthet and David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ, Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov of UAE Emirates-XRG, Daniel Felipe Martínez of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Mikel Landa of Soudal Quick-Step have all suffered setbacks at different points this season. A race such as the Tour of Burgos offers them an ideal opportunity to rebuild their form and still make something of the final months of the campaign.
2026 Tour of Burgos, IDL Pro Cycling top picks
Top favorites: Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Outsiders: Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mathys Rondel (Tudor), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)
Long shots: Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Afonso Eulálio and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates-XRG), Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost), Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Luke Tuckwell and Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
How to watch the 2026 Tour of Burgos on TV
It is a crowded week on the cycling calendar, with the Tour de France Femmes and the Tour of Poland also taking place. Unfortunately, that means the Tour of Burgos is not currently available to watch live. IDL Pro Cycling will nevertheless provide daily coverage of the race, and should a stream become available anywhere, the latest information will be added here.
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
- I appreciate the need for rigorous drug testing, especially given the sports' abusive and extensive history with banned substances. But, and allowing for the fact that I'm not knowledgable about sophisticated drug use and masking, and how illegal substances might be employed, and mindful of the statement that publicly testing cycling's two greatest stars sends the loudest possible message to team directors, sponsors, and riders, I'm not convinced that it was necessary, or fair, to wake Jonas at 2AM, while allowing three extra hours of sleep to Tadej, and no testing at all for their closest competitors during cycling's most important race. If such testing is thoiught to be necessary, than administer the tests to ALL top competitors, at the same exact time, and that time should be around 5AM, not 2AM. Testing is important, but not more so than the health and safety of the riders.rjb03-08-2026
- Winng by Losing, Pogi gives back while paying it forward.. Chapeau!rjb02-08-2026
- I suggest that the contract discussions have been put off not because Del Toro and his representitives expect UAE to sign Seixas, which I consider highly unlikely, but rather because he and his reps don't want to set a ceiling on a new contract until they see the size and length of Seixas' deal. That, or so it seems to me, is the actual reason for Del Toro putting off talks on an extension. Because the idea that Seixas would sign with a team that already has three young world-class GC contenders, including the G.O.A.T., seems far-fetched, if not completely ludicrous.rjb31-07-2026
- No disrespect toward Jonas, but his problem, vis-a-vis Tadej, may not be solvable. Tadej didn't only excell in explosiveness, he also demolished Jonas on a crucial descent. And, lest we forget, Pogi didn't have any trouble winning both the Giro and the Tour last year. Moreover, his explanation regarding poor planning by the Visma team, also strikes me as questionable, given all the experience and expertise in the Visma group. Again, no disrespect toward Jonas, a valid champion and a fine human being.rjb31-07-2026
- The headline mentions a 'menstruation debate,' but the article doesn't mention the debate or even what the issue is. The writer and the editor need to do better.rjb29-07-2026
- - Vamos Tadej! Poetry on wheels. C’est magnifique, bravo campione!robert6528-07-2026
- - Merckx saying no competition feels off—what about Vingegaard in full form, and Roglic on the Giro/Vuelta blocks? There’s competition, just inconsistent due to crashes and form peaks. Still, Tadej is the most versatile since Indurain.breakawaybikerd28-07-2026
- - So Pogacar has five Tours already, but why is that a bigger deal than, say, winning the World Championships? Are the Grand Tours ranked differently?samanthak28-07-2026
- - Brilliant piece. You captured how he meters effort on long climbs and still rips everyone off the wheel. Also love the nod to Tour de l’Avenir—people forget how early he was bossing stages.tourdeforce928-07-2026
- - Slightly sceptical about the “win all three Grand Tours in one season” bit. The calendar density and recovery windows are still brutal, even with modern prep. Would love it, but sounds a tad romantic from Eddy.andrewf28-07-2026
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