The Spanish Grand Tour used to be the least geographically adventurous of all Grand Tours. It will be the fifth foreign Big Start in its 79-year history, after Utrecht, Netherlands (2022); Nîmes, France (2017); and Assen, Netherlands (2009). Lisbon also hosted the first foreign start in 1997.
The 1st stage is a flat ITT of 12 kilometres between Lisbon and coastal town Oeiras. Stage 2 then travels north from Cascais to Ourém, while stage 3 starts in Lousa to finish in Castello Branco. Both stages are hilly, although sprint finishes are not to be ruled out.
La Vuelta returns to home soil on the fourth day of action for a finish in the remote region of Extremadura. Pico Villuercas is the end station of stage 4. The 14.6 kilometres climb at 6.2% offers a 2.9 kilometres section at 13.4% within the last 6 kilometres.
La Vuelta heads further south for a couple of Andalusian stages, starting with a race to Seville. Stage 6 is a demanding hilly test with a finale in the Sierra de las Nieves before the riders are expected to shine in stage 7′s Córdoba finish, although de Alto de 14% in the finale could present a challenge.
The Andalusian expedition then continues with the 8th stage, which is played out between Úbeda and Cazorla, where a punchy finish welcomes the riders. The first week of action ends with a race through the Sierra Nevada. Stage 9 sets off from Motril to enter the highest mountain ridge of mainland Spain. The route takes in the Alto de El Purche (8.9 kilometres at 7.6%) before a double ascent of Alto de Hazallanas (7.1 kilometres at 9.6%) precedes the long downhill into Granada.
Week 2
Yet, the lion’s share of the race is played out in the northern part of Spain. The riders fly across the country to the northwestern corner of the peninsula, where Galicia hosts four races. The 10th stage takes the riders through the hills of white wines Vallhalla Rías Baixas, leading from Ponteareas to a downhill finish in Baiona. The 11th stage then starts and finishes in Padrón with a series of attacker-friendly climbs in between.
Stage 12 travels on undulating terrain to an extended finish climb on the Montaña Manzaneda. The fourth and last Galician race – stage 13 – sets off from the capital Lugo to finish atop the Puerto de Ancares after 12.3 kilometres of hardship at 9.3%.
At 200.4 kilometres, the 14th stage is the longest of the entire Vuelta. The riders fly down the Puerto de Leitariegos – an extremely long but not very steep climb – in the finale. Also in the north of Spain you’ll find the Cuitu Negru, which is something else entirely. The summit is the end station of stage 15 and it requires 18.9 kilometres of climbing at 7.4% to get there. The first 11 kilometres are not very interesting, but then the road ramps up to double digits for 2 kilometres. It levels out again before the last 3 kilometres are just horrific. The final section averages over 13% and features a steepest ramp of 24%.
Week 3
Stage 16 starts some 150 kilometres to the southeast of the Cuitu Negru where a brutal climb to the Lagos de Covadonga towers. The scenery is spectacular and the same goes for the climb. The 12.5 kilometres ascent to the lakes comes with an average gradient of 6.9%, which is really just a nugatory statistic as double digit ramps are spread out over the ascent. The first 7 kilometres are especially brutal.
We stay in northern Spain with a race to Santander before stage 18 takes place in the Basque Country. The riders set off from Vitoria-Gasteiz to travel on lumpy terrain to Izki Natural Park, while Rivas de Tereso and Alto Herrera will be the intermediate climbs. The 19th stage traverses the vineyards of La Rioja before finishing atop the Alto del Moncalvillo.
The penultimate test is a tough mountain stage – with over 4,000 vertical metres – between Villarcayo and the summit of Picón Blanco in Burgos. The 7.6 kilometres long finish climb leads to an abandoned military base at 1,468 metres above sea level. The average gradient of 9.3% is biased as the ascent opens with relatively modest gradients, while it stretches for kilometres at over 10% in the second half.
In 2021, Rein Taaramäe attacked from the breakaway with 3 kilometres to go on the Picón Blanco. He soloed to the stage win and red jersey. It was the third day of that edition and the GC riders kept a low profile. Which will not be the case this time…
La Vuelta returns to Madrid for the final stage, but instead of the usual city circuit the riders are treated to an ITT.
Vuelta a España 2024: route, profiles, videos
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