Out of all cycling’s Grand Tours next year, Vuelta a España is looking to be the hardest.
Organisers of La Vuelta did not disappoint when they revealed the official 2026 route last week, promising one of the toughest editions in its entire history.
Professional cyclists are in for a surprise with 58,156 metres of total elevation gain – higher than what the Giro d’ Italia and the Tour de France will offer.
La Vuelta goes to Monaco
Monaco will serve as the Grand Départ with an opening individual time trial on August 22 before passing through France, Andorra and Spain until its final stage in Granada on September 13.
The route will offer riders a chance to race across seven mountain stages, four medium mountain stages and eight hilly or flat stages, in addition to two time trials.
General director Javier Guillén said the 2026 edition will maintain “the international character of the event”.
“It will be an edition of La Vuelta with a very Mediterranean feel, from its start to the final stage in Andalusia”, he said in a press release.
“Monaco will mark a prestigious start to an edition that will visit historic cities, mountain passes that are part of our history and unprecedented climbs, before ending in a unique venue such as the Alhambra, the red fortress of Granada”.
One of the toughest Vueltas in history
Route architect Fernando Escartin warned riders it will be a “very tough route”, with the mountains expected to play a role in one of the most demanding editions of the Vuelta.
For comparison, next year’s Giro will have 49,150m of total elevation gain while the Tour will reach 54,450m.
“Andorra will set the tone at the start of the race with a short but very tough stage, before tackling climbs such as Valdelinares, Aitana, Calar Alto, La Pandera, Penas Blancas and the unprecedented Collado del Alguacil on a final day of mountain racing that promises to be extremely tough”, Escartin said.
Two aspects of this edition will bring new challenges for those who seek the red jersey: a 3.5-kilometre gravelled road to Puerto El Bartolo about 16km from the finish line on stage six and the final hill of Collado del Alguacil with gruesome steep sections on the penultimate stage 20.
Spectators will not only expect a showdown among climbers, but also between the sport’s best sprinters in four to five stages, including on the last day at the Alhambra of Granada.
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Opportunities for everyone
Visma-Lease a Bike head of racing Grischa Niermann described the route as “hard but well balanced”, although he pointed out the “unusual” amount of climbing – over 5,000m – spread over in two stages.
There is also the need to be “strong against the clock” to tackle the more than 40 kilometres of time trialing.
On top of that, stages may draw in fast riders who can also survive climbs since there are only a few completely flat stages.
Niermaan also cautioned about the heat coming into play, as a big chunk of the route will be taking place in the South.
Visma’s very own Jonas Vingegaard quipped rivals to snatch his career-first victory in the La Vuelta 2025, which was beset by pro-Palestine protests that disrupted some stages.
He managed to overcome sickness to seal the win on the penultimate stage in Bola del Mundo, putting another Grand Tour win under his belt after securing the Tour de France crown in 2022 and 2023.
João Almeida of the UAE Team Emirates took second and Tom Pidcock of Q36.5 Pro Cycling completed the podium in third.
La Vuelta completes the launch of the Grand Tour presentations for next year, and all that is left now is for teams and riders to build up their preparations and battle strategies before the new season officially opens in a month.
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