Tour of Valencia 2026 | Remco Evenepoel continues the hunt, but that is certainly not the only exciting thing
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Follow us on GoogleThe Cyclo-cross World Championships are done and dusted, which means it’s time for Europe’s early-season stage races with real prestige. One of those is the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, where stars like Mads Pedersen and Evenepoel kick off their road year. IDLProcycling.com brings you up to speed.
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The race has been back on the calendar in its current form since 2016, with Wout Poels taking the honours in that comeback edition. The winners’ list since then speaks for itself: world champions such as Alejandro Valverde, Tadej Pogačar and Rui Costa have all added Valencia to their palmarès.
Last season, overall victory went to Bahrain Victorious’ Colombian Santiago Buitrago. The climber won two stages and held off João Almeida (UAE Emirates–XRG) and team-mate Pello Bilbao. Thymen Arensman finished fourth for INEOS Grenadiers.
Latest winners Tour of Valencia
2025 Santiago Buitrago
2024 Brandon McNulty
2023 Rui Costa
2022 Alexander Vlasov
2021 Stefan Küng
2020 Tadej Pogacar
2019 Ion Izagirre
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Nairo Quintana
2016 Wout Poels
2024 Brandon McNulty
2023 Rui Costa
2022 Alexander Vlasov
2021 Stefan Küng
2020 Tadej Pogacar
2019 Ion Izagirre
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Nairo Quintana
2016 Wout Poels
Tour of Valencia 2026: course, favorites stage wins and times
Stage 1, Wednesday, Feb. 4: Segorbe - Torreblanca (162.2 km)
The opener runs from Segorbe to Torreblanca on the coast, where plenty of riders spend the winter on training camps. With 40 kilometres to go there’s a proper lump to get over, but the finale still looks tailor-made for the fast men who make it through.
Times
Start: 1:15 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Start: 1:15 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Stage 2, Thursday, Feb. 5: Carlet - Alginet (17.5 km, time trial)
Thursday brings a stage plenty of Belgian fans will have circled: an individual time trial where Evenepoel should, on paper, be able to make his mark. The route between Carlet and Alginet is 17.5 kilometres long, featuring a 3.1-kilometre rise at an average of 3.6% in the middle.
Favorites
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 2:18 p.m.
Finish: 5 p.m.
Start: 2:18 p.m.
Finish: 5 p.m.
Stage 3, Friday, Feb. 6: Orihuela - Sant Vincent del Raspeig (158.2 km)
Day three starts in Orihuela for a 158.2-kilometre stage with a sting in the tail. About two-thirds of the way through, the peloton heads towards Tibi via a 7.5-kilometre climb at 5% on average. After a plateau section, it’s then down towards San Vicente del Raspeig.
Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Magnus Cort (Uno-X)
Biniam Girmay (NSN)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Magnus Cort (Uno-X)
Biniam Girmay (NSN)
Times
Start: 1:20 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Start: 1:20 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Stage 4, Saturday, Feb. 7: La Nucia - Teulada (172.2 km)
Stage four is one many riders will know well, starting in La Nucía and passing through familiar Costa Blanca training roads around Calpe, Moraira and Pedreguer. Early on, the route also takes in the Costa Blanca’s best-known climb: the Coll de Rates.
But that’s not the hardest of the day. Around the 45-kilometre mark comes the Alto de Miserat: “only” 5.4 kilometres long, but at nearly 10% on average. After that it’s rolling virtually all day, with several sharper kickers in the finale from Moraira. A proper stage, this.
Favorites
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Times
Start: 12:36 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Start: 12:36 PM (local time)
Finish: 5 PM (local time)
Stage 5, Sunday, Feb. 8: Bétera - Valencia (93.8 km)
The Tour of Valencia usually ends with a shorter day, and 2026 is no different. The final stage is 93.8 kilometres long and includes two small climbs, but are they hard enough to drop the fast men — like Pedersen — before the finish in Valencia?
Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Biniam Girmay (NSN)
Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Biniam Girmay (NSN)
Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers)
Times
Start: 2:48 PM (local time)
Finish: 5PM (local time)
Start: 2:48 PM (local time)
Finish: 5PM (local time)
Favorites final classification Tour of Valencia 2026
The start list is not complete yet, so this section may still change.
The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana starts with one clear top favourite: Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian of Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe opened his season last week on Mallorca and immediately took everything there was to take: he steered his team to victory in the team time trial and then added two individual wins. Normally, he starts in Valencia with Pellizzari among his key helpers.
The main challenger looks set to be João Almeida, last season’s runner-up. The Portuguese rider of UAE Emirates–XRG — which also brings Marc Soler — begins his season in Valencia. Antonio Tiberi is Bahrain Victorious’ man for the general classification. The Italian already raced in this area two weeks ago and finished third there. Reliable lieutenant Damiano Caruso is also on the roster.
Movistar arrives with a well-stocked team including Cian UijtdebroeksIván Romeo and Pablo Castrillo. INEOS Grenadiers lines up with Magnus Sheffield, Tobias Foss and puncher Victor Langelotti.
For a top-ten spot, keep an eye as well on Steff Cras, Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl–Trek), Johannes Kulset (Uno-X), Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Alber Balderstone (Caja Rural).
Top favorite: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ivan Romeo, Pablo Castrillo (Movistar), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Victor Langelotti (INEOS Grenadiers), Steff Cras (Soudal Quick-Step), Johannes Kulset (Uno-X) and Johannes Kulset (Uno-X)
Outsiders: Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates-XRG), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ivan Romeo, Pablo Castrillo (Movistar), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Victor Langelotti (INEOS Grenadiers), Steff Cras (Soudal Quick-Step), Johannes Kulset (Uno-X) and Johannes Kulset (Uno-X)
Participants Tour of Valencia 2026
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
TV Tour of Valencia 2026
The Tour of Valencia is available to watch every day at 3:30 PM on HBO Max. Due to the Winter Olympics, the race from Spain will only be shown on Eurosport 1 on Wednesday (after the cyclo-cross in Maldegem).
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- 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
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026