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2026 Vuelta a España
The 2026 Vuelta a España route will be announced later in the year. What we do know is that the tour, which will be the 81st edition, will start with a time trial in Monaco and the final four days will take place on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
It is a bit of a surprise to many that the organisers have once again opted to start outside of Spain; this is the third consecutive tour which will have started outside of Spain.
If you plan on having a bet on the outright winner or the daily stage markets, then be sure to give our Best Bookie for Betting on Cycling guide a read before you place any bets.
Is the Vuelta a España on TV?
Yes, you can watch the action unfold live on Eurosport over the three weeks.
How many kilometres is the Vuelta a España?
The 2026 Vuelta a España is once again expected to take place over twenty-one stages. Once the route is announced, we will know exactly how far it will be.
Best Bookmakers for Cycling Betting
2026 Vuelta a España Predictions
The OLBG cycling tipsters will have you covered throughout the twenty-one stages. Head over to the main Cycling Betting Tips page for daily tips from La Vuelta as well as other cycling events throughout the year.
You can see who they are predicting to win the Vuelta a España and daily markets like rider matchups, which riders will produce better results and who they are picking to win the stage.
You can also see cycling picks from the best tipsters. On the Best Cycling Tipsters page, we only display tipsters who have made a profit over the past year for their cycling tips. Only tipsters with open tips will be displayed on this page.
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a cycling 'nerd', then why not join and start adding your La Vuelta tips? See if you can challenge the tipsters and claim the top spot in the cycling table and pick up a cash reward!
2025 Vuelta a España - Phase 1 Recap
The La Vuelta kicked off with a flat stage from Turin to Novara on August 23rd, the first of nine stages in this first phase of the tour, before the first rest day on September 1st. This first phase covered a total of 1,447km and went through Italy, France, Andorra and Spain.
| Stage | Route | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Sat (23 Aug) | Turin to Novara (Italy) Flat stage - 200 km (120 mi) | Jasper Philipsen (BEL) |
| Stage 2 Sun (24 Aug) | Alba to Limone Piemonte (Italy) Flat stage - 157 km (98 mi) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) |
| Stage 3 Mon (25 Aug) | San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres (Italy) Medium-mountain stage - 139 km (86 mi) | David Gaudu (FRA) |
| Stage 4 Tue (26 Aug) | Susa (Italy) to Voiron (France) Medium-mountain stage - 192 km (119 mi) | Ben Turner (GBR) |
| Stage 5 Wed (27 Aug) | Figueres to Figueres Team time trial - 20 km (12 mi) | UAE Team Emirates XRG (UAE) |
| Stage 6 Thu (28 Aug) | Olot to Pal (Andorra) Mountain stage - 170 km (110 mi) | Jay Vine (AUS) |
| Stage 7 Fri (29 Aug) | Andorra la Vella (Andorra) to Cerler Mountain stage - 187 km (116 mi) | Juan Ayuso (ESP) |
| Stage 8 Sat (30 Aug) | Monzón to Zaragoza Mountain stage - 187 km (116 mi) | Jasper Philipsen (BEL) |
| Stage 9 Sun (31 Aug) | Alfaro to Valdezcaray Hilly stage - 195 km (121 mi) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) |
| Mon (1 Sep) | Rest day - Phase 1 Total - 1,447 km (898 mi) | |
2025 Vuelta a España - Phase 2 Recap
After their first rest day on the 1st, the riders resumed action with a flat stage from Arguedas to El Ferial Larra Belagua, the first of six stages in their second phase, which covered a total of 982 km before their second and final rest day on September 8th.
| Stage | Route | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 10 Tue (2 Sep) | Arguedas to El Ferial Larra Belagua Flat stage - 168 km (104 mi) | Jay Vine (AUS) |
| Stage 11 Wed (3 Sep) | Bilbao to Bilbao Medium-mountain stage - 167 km (104 mi) | No winner declared |
| Stage 12 Thu (4 Sep) | Laredo to Los Corrales de Buelna Medium-mountain stage - 143 km (89 mi) | Juan Ayuso (ESP) |
| Stage 13 Fri (5 Sep) | Cabezón de la Sal to L'Angliru Mountain stage - 202 km (126 mi) | João Almeida (POR) |
| Stage 14 Sat (6 Sep) | Avilés to Alto de La Farrapona Mountain stage - 135 km (84 mi) | Marc Soler (ESP) |
| Stage 15 Sun (7 Sep) | Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos Medium-mountain stage - 167 km (104 mi) | Mads Pedersen (DEN) |
| Mon (8 Sep) | Rest day - Phase 2 Total - 982 km (611 mi) |
2025 Vuelta a España - Phase 3 Recap
The final phase consisted of six stages, during which the riders covered 751 km, providing the last opportunity for them to make their moves in their attempt to be crowned champion.
| Stage | Route | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 16 Tue (9 Sep) | Poio to Mos Medium-mountain stage - 172 km (107 mi) | Egan Bernal (COL) |
| Stage 17 Wed (10 Sep) | O Barco de Valdeorras to Ponferrada Medium-mountain stage - 137 km (85 mi) | Giulio Pellizzari (ITA) |
| Stage 18 Thu (11 Sep) | Valladolid to Valladolid Individual time trial - 26 km (16 mi) | Filippo Ganna (ITA) |
| Stage 19 Fri (12 Sep) | Rueda to Guijuelo Flat stage - 159 km (99 mi) | Jasper Philipsen (BEL) |
| Stage 20 Sat (13 Sep) | Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo Mountain stage - 156 km (97 mi) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) |
| Stage 21 Sun (14 Sep) | Valdeolmos-Alalpardo to Madrid Flat stage - 101 km (63 mi) | No winner declared |
| Phase 3 Total - 751 km (467 mi) |
Vuelta a España General Classification
It is no surprise that the Spanish have a good record in the race, considering it is their 'home' race; the winner of the general classification has been Spanish a total of thirty-two times, with twenty-three riders making up those wins.
That number is clear of the next, which is the French, who have nine wins (eight riders), followed by the Belgians with eight wins (seven riders) and the Italians with six different winners.
Spanish rider Roberto Heras was the most successful rider in the race, having won it four times (2000, 2003, 2004 & 2005) until Primož Roglič's success in 2024, which also moved him onto four wins (2019, 2020, 2021 & 2024).
Tony Rominger (SUI) and Alberto Contador (ESP) are the only two other riders to have recorded three or more wins in the race, with seven other riders having all won it twice.
Last Ten Vuelta a España Winners
| Year | Winner | Time | Stage Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jonas Vingegaard Visma–Lease a Bike | 74h 20' 28" + 1' 16" | 3 |
| 2024 | Primož Roglič Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe | 81h 49' 18" + 2' 36" | 3 |
| 2023 | Sepp Kuss Team Jumbo–Visma | 76h 48' 21" + 17" | 1 |
| 2022 | Remco Evenepoel Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 80h 26' 59" + 2' 02" | 2 |
| 2021 | Primož Roglič Team Jumbo–Visma | 83h 55' 29" + 4' 42" | 4 |
| 2020 | Primož Roglič Team Jumbo–Visma | 72h 46' 12" + 24" | 4 |
| 2019 | Primož Roglič Team Jumbo–Visma | 83h 07' 31" + 2' 33" | 1 |
| 2018 | Simon Yates Mitchelton–Scott | 82h 05' 58" + 1' 46" | 1 |
| 2017 | Chris Froome Team Sky | 82h 30' 02" + 2' 15" | 2 |
| 2016 | Nairo Quintana Movistar Team | 83h 31' 28" + 1' 23" | 1 |
Vuelta a España Points Classification
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde is one of the most successful point classification riders; his win in 2018 was the fourth time that he picked up the award, having previously also won it in 2012, 2013 & 2015.
His fourth win tied him with Irishman Sean Kelly (1980, 1985, 1986 & 1988) and Frenchman Laurent Jalabert, who won the award four consecutive years (1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997).
As well as the general classification, Primož Roglič won the points classification in both 2019 & 2020 but could only manage runner-up in 2021 & 2024, whilst Kaden Groves has won back-to-back in 2023 & 2024.
Those two riders will now both head into 2026 looking for a third win, which would put them level with German Erik Zabel (2002, 2003 & 2004).
Last Ten Points Classification Winners
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) (277) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) (197) | Jasper Philipsen (BEL) (135) |
| 2024 | Kaden Groves (AUS) (226) | Primož Roglič (SLO) (140) | Max Poole (GBR) (118) |
| 2023 | Kaden Groves (AUS) (315) | Remco Evenepoel (BEL) (236) | Andreas Kron (DEN) (167) |
| 2022 | Mads Pedersen (DEN) (409) | Fred Wright (GBR) (186) | Enric Mas (ESP) (136) |
| 2021 | Fabio Jakobsen (NED) (250) | Primož Roglič (SLO) (199) | Magnus Cort (DEN) (161) |
| 2020 | Primož Roglič (SLO) (204) | Richard Carapaz (ECU) (133) | Dan Martin (IRL) (111) |
| 2019 | Primož Roglič (SLO) (155) | Tadej Pogačar (SLO) (136) | Sam Bennett (IRL) (134) |
| 2018 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) (131) | Peter Sagan (SVK) (119) | Elia Viviani (ITA) (105) |
| 2017 | Chris Froome (GBR) (158) | Matteo Trentin (ITA) (156) | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) (128) |
| 2016 | Fabio Felline (ITA) (100) | Nairo Quintana (COL) (97) | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) (93) |
Vuelta a España King of the Mountains
It used to be a case of not looking at anything but a Spaniard to find the King of the Mountain winner. Between 1941 & 1986, there were only three non-Spanish winners, and there were also eight winners between 1997 & 2006.
However, the tide has turned since 2007, of the nineteen winners, only three of those have been Spanish, Luis León Sánchez in 2014, and then Omar Fraile in both 2015 & 2016, and 2020, 2021, 2023 & 2025, there wasn't a single Spaniard in the top three.
The French have picked up a lot of wins of late. David Moncoutié won it for four consecutive years between 2008 & 2011, Nicolas Edet won it in 2013, Geoffrey Bouchard in 2019, and Guillaume Martin picked up the title in 2020.
Jay Vine's success in both 2024 & 2025 means there has now been an Aussie in the top three for each of the last five tours. Michael Storer won it in 2021 and was third in 2023, whilst Robert Stannard was runner-up in 2022.
Last Ten King of the Mountain Winners
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) | João Almeida (POR) |
| 2024 | Jay Vine (AUS) | Marc Soler (ESP) | Pablo Castrillo (ESP) |
| 2023 | Remco Evenepoel (BEL) | Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) | Michael Storer (AUS) |
| 2022 | Richard Carapaz (ECU) | Robert Stannard (AUS) | Enric Mas (ESP) |
| 2021 | Michael Storer (AUS) | Romain Bardet (FRA) | Primož Roglič (SLO) |
| 2020 | Guillaume Martin (FRA) | Tim Wellens (BEL) | Richard Carapaz (ECU) |
| 2019 | Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA) | Ángel Madrazo (ESP) | Sergio Samitier (ESP) |
| 2018 | Thomas De Gendt (BEL) | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Luis Ángel Maté (ESP) |
| 2017 | Davide Villella (ITA) | Miguel Ángel López (COL) | Chris Froome (GBR) |
| 2016 | Omar Fraile (ESP) | Kenny Elissonde (FRA) | Robert Gesink (NED) |
Article Contributor Information
The Vuelta a España content on OLBG has been created and maintained by Andy Powell, who, through the creation of the content, developed an understanding of the sport.
Andy Powell
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