tour of spain route 2023 route map

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

La Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles of all 21 days

A closer look at the route of this year’s vuelta, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing

Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news, thanks for signing up to the sport email.

The 2023 Vuelta a Espana is set to be a compelling battle for the red jersey as a stacked list of grand tour pedigree takes on one of the most demanding routes seen in years.

Reigning Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard is the favourite but winning two grand tours in two months is a difficult thing to do, and his teammate Primoz Roglic – who won the Giro d’Italia in May – will be an alternative weapon for Jumbo-Visma should Vingegaard falter. Roglic is trying to win a record-equalling fourth Vuelta of his career, having won in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Looking to stop Jumbo-Visma from collecting a clean sweep of the year’s big three races is the reigning Vuelta champion Remco Evenepoel. The Soudal Quick-Step rider produced a dominant show in last year’s race to take hold of the red jersey early and carry it all the way to Madrid. The Belgian superstar became road race world champion two weeks later and added the time-trial world title to his collection last month, and he looks like the best bet to stop Jumbo.

Then there is Ineos with two Tour de France winners in Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal; Enric Mas, a three-time runner-up at the Vuelta with mercurial Spanish team Movistar; fellow Spaniard Juan Ayuso, the 20-year-old who finished third last year; and Ayuso’s UAE Emirates teammate Joao Almeida is also one to watch.

Here is our stage-by-stage guide to the 2023 Vuelta.

Stage 1: Saturday 26 August, Barcelona – Barcelona, (14.8km TTT)

The 2023 Veulta starts with a team time-trial, always a tricky technical challenge that requires skill to keep all eight riders in a unit on a circuit that contains some tight corners. Jumbo-Visma are the favourites.

Stage 2: Sunday 27 August, Mataro – Barcelona (182km)

The hard opening week kicks in with three categorised climbs and an uphill finish in Barcelona.

Stage 3: Monday 28 August, Suria – Arinsal (158.5km)

A first test of the strength of the big general classification contenders as the race heads up to Andorra, and a sense of whether Jonas Vingegaard is in top form so soon after winning a gruelling Tour de France.

Stage 4: Tuesday 29 August, Andorra la Vella – Tarragona (183.5km)

A flatter day – though not flat – is one of only four opportinities for the sprinters on this tour, although the sprinting pool is pretty shallow so some of these sprint days could be hijacked by the breakaway.

Stage 5: Wednesday 30 August, Morella – Burriana (186.5km)

Another sprint day, by name, but the category two climb that lurks near the finish in Burriana could push some of the fast men out of the back of the peloton if the pace is high.

Stage 6: Thursday 31 August, La Vall d’Uixo – Pico del Buitre (183.5km)

The first summit finish of the Vuelta is atop the brutally steep Pico del Buitre (10.9km at 8%), which consistently reaches 15% in some sections.

Stage 7: Friday 1 September, Utiel – Oliva (201km)

A flat day for the sprinters in the pack and perhaps a chance for the top GC riders to recover after some tough climbing.

Stage 8: Saturday 2nd September, Denia – Xorret de Cati (165km)

A rolling day through the Valencia region but the steep category one Xorret de Cati near the finish (3.9km at 11.4%) will demand climber’s legs of its stage winner.

Stage 9: Sunday 3 September, Cartagena – Collado de la Cruz de Caravaca (184.5km)

The race will be decided on the ‘steps’ that precede the finish: a series of short plateaus followed by sharp inclines riding up the Alto Caravaca de la Cruz (8.2km at 5.5%).

Stage 10: Tuesday 5 September, Valladolid – Valladolid (25.8km ITT)

After the first rest day, the riders return for an individual time-trial which should be thrilling to watch. Remco Evenepoel is the new time-trial world champion but Jonas Vingegaard was sensational at the Tour, and there are plenty of other talented riders against the clock, not least Ineos’s Filippo Ganna, a two-time time-trial world champion himself.

Stage 11: Wednesday 6 September, Lerma – La Laguna Negra (163.5km)

A flat day with another steep finish upon La Laguna Negra (6.5km at 6.8%) which should suit a breakaway.

Stage 12: Thursday 7 September, Olvega – Zaragoza (151km)

A rare visit to Zaragoza is likely to end in a bunch sprint.

Stage 13: Friday 8 September, Formigal – Col du Tourmalet (135km)

This image below speaks for itself for the Vuelta’s queen stage: a brute of a day spent almost entirely in France culminating on the famous Tourmalet (18.9km at 7.4%).

Stage 14: Saturday 9 September, Sauveterre-de-Bearn – Larra-Belagua (156.5km)

Another hard climbing day awaits, and that’s before the summit finish on the Puerto de Belagua (9.5km at 6.3%).

Stage 15: Sunday 10 September, Pamplona – Lekunberri (158.5km)

Starting in the city famous for its Running of the Bulls, a hilly route to Lekunberri will suit the puncheurs in the peloton.

Stage 16: Tuesday 12 September, Liencres Playa – Bejes (120.5km)

A short stage which runs along the Bay of Biscay coastline and turns south before a steep climb to the finish in the small town of Bejes.

Stage 17: Wednesday 13 September, Ribadesella – Altu de l’Angliru (124.5km)

It’s not long but stage 17 is set to be one of the toughest days with a demanding finish atop the Angliru (12.4km at 9.8%) which features a final section averaging a leg-burning 24% gradient named Cuena les Cabres – the goat road.

Stage 18: Thursday 14 September, Pola de Allande – La Cruz de Linares (179km)

Another hard day in the saddle features three category one climbs including back-to-back ascents of the Puerto de la Cruz de Linares (8.3km at 8.6%), where the finish line awaits.

Stage 19: Friday 15 September, La Baneza – Iscar (177.5km)

A flat day that will be welcomed by any sprinters left in the pack, though don’t discount a breakaway trying to steal the stage.

Stage 20: Saturday 16 September, Manzanares El Real – Guadarrama, (208km)

The printer didn’t have an episode: this really is stage 20 of La Vuelta, a rolling, repetitive 208km in the hills to the north-west of Madrid, and one final chance to battle.

Stage 21: Sunday 17 September, Hipodromo de la Zarzuela – Madrid (101.5km)

Ten laps of the street circuit in Madrid close out the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Route Analysis | Profiles & Route Vuelta a Espana 2023

Profiles . The 2023 Vuelta a Espana will be taking place from the 26th of August to the 17th of September 2023. The Spanish Grand Tour is the final one of the season, one that consistently delivers a balanced mix of mountainous, hilly and flat stages, always giving opportunity aswell to the time-trialist, and those who are resorting to the Vuelta for their final big chances of the year to take a prestigious win.

In this article the list of stages for the 2023 edition is listed, as revealed on the 10th of January in the race presentation in Barcelona, Spain. It will be a mountainous race as for usual. Several details were already heavily rumoured before the reveal, such as summit finishes at Andorra, Col du Tourmalet and the Alto de l'Angliru.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 - Evenepoel faces Roglic and Vingegaard; Angliru headlines brutal mountainous route

Final startlist vuelta a espana with evenepoel, roglic, vingegaard, ayuso, almeida, ganna, thomas, landa and mas.

The race will start with a 14.9-kilometer long team time-trial in Barcelona starting at the Olympic port. It will create some small differences and make for a spectacular start to the race in the capital of the Catalunya region.

Play along with our Fantasy Vuelta a España 2023. At least $28,000/€25,000/£21,000 in prizes! Click here to create your own Fantasy Vuelta a España team.

It is a day that will be showing the best out of the city and will be a slightly technical day. There will be 18 corners of 90 degrees or around that, it makes for an unusually technical and explosive team time-trial, not the typical powerhouse-suited but one where riding in the wheels will be harder than usual.

This will make for a difficult run for whoever sets foot on the start line. The opening minutes specially will be technical, riders will need to be wary not to crash, as then in the second half there will be longer straights where the specialists will be able to put their power down better.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 1 - Jumbo-Visma and INEOS Grenadiers main favourites for opening time-trial

Stage two will be similar to that of the 2012 stage where Philippe Gilbert and Joaquim Rodriguez blasted away from the peloton. It's a hilly day, however not overly hard. The challenges will come as the riders return to Barcelona and will face the short but explosive hilltop of the Alto de Montjuic. The stage will end right after by the Olympic stadium.

There is an uphill start and by all means, the first two thirds of the day are quite hilly and later in the race it would be a day suited to a breakaway. But here it's unlikely, a red jersey will be on the line but plenty teams will seek it, the run-up to Barcelona is flat and allows for big gap cutting from the peloton, and besides the final kilometers, the run-up to Montjuic is certain

The climb is very sharp. Lately the Volta a Catalunya has returned to this vertent, it's 900 meters at 8.7% but it's gradients go as high as the double of that. It's an anaerobic effort, there won't be big splits at the summit but immediately the riders take on, with 3.7 kilometers to go until 1.5Km to go, a very fast and slightly technical descent where the gaps will grow in space (although not necessarily in time).

The race will momentarily solidify but immediately the riders hit the hilltop finale into the Olympic stadium. The gradients average 4/5%, it is not one for the sprinters even if some survive relatively close to the front, several of the climbers/puncheurs will benefit from the gradients. A late attack has quite good chances of surviving too.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 2 - 15% Alto de Montjuic to explode overall classification in thrilling finale

There is absolutely no time to settle in. Stage three will see the riders head north towards Andorra where they will find the first summit finish of the race. It is a high-mountain stage. After entering the microstate the riders will go up two ascents and finish in Arinsal where the first big selection should be made.

The stage starts in Spain, in Súria. The start is flat but after 20 kilometers the riders find some hilly terrain, there is potential for a breakaway with quality to go up the road. Most of the day is flat, straight, typical transitional. But then the riders cross the border to Andorra and the race changes. An intermediate sprint antecedes the first ascent.

This is the first category Coll d'Ordino, not climbed via it's traditional side. It's 17.5 kilometers at 4.9%, mostly a big ring climb, it will not create differences but will be a warm-up. At the summit there are bonifications, although it's unlikely that riders will be burning matches with the big climb that is still to follow. The summit comes with 21 kilometers to go and the descent is very technical, almost straight into the base of the final climb.

The riders pass the town of Arinsal and then climb towards the summit finish. The climb is 8.3 kilometers long at 7.6%. The first half straightforward, the final kilometers slightly steeper and with several switchbacks. This is a climb where attacks can come towards the end, and riders will enter the ascent relatively fresh, it's not necessarily a day to take it at pace.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 3 - Arinsal summit finish the first big mountain test for Roglic, Evenepoel, Vingegaard, Thomas and more

On the fourth day of racing however the riders return to the coast. It will be a fast ride back into Tarragona near Barcelona, with the route having a slight downhill tilt, however with a couple of hilltops towards the finish that won't make life easy for the sprinters.

The start is in fact mostly in a slight downhill. The riders depart from 798 meters of altitude and arrive at 66, there is a small hilltop after 60 kilometers of racing but until then the race will be set. The riders then find two categorized ascents. 9Km at 3.7% with 54 kilometers to go, then 4.5Km at 5.6% with 31 kilometers to go. The last one is not an easy one, and taking into consideration the mostly downhill finale afterwards some teams could ally to permanently drop a few sprinters.

Most likely however bullets will be saved for the run-up to the finish. There the finale is relatively simple until the final kilometers. A couple of roundabouts, then with 1.7km to 900 meters to go the road rises slightly. The peloton finds a turn with just under 500 meters to go which will be crucial, from there on the riders have an uphill drag to the line with around 5% average, not one for the pure sprinters, it will be an interesting finale.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 4 - Kaden Groves man to beat in race's first bunch sprint

Stage five from Morella to Burriana is a tricky one. A day for the sprinters on paper however, as is classic at the Vuelta a Espana, it features the 'rompe-piernas' terrain which will throughout the day benefit attackers and make the pure fast men suffer in the small but repetitive climbs.

If a bunch sprint is to take place a breakaway can only be given a very small leadout throughout the entire day. The start is at 914 meters of altitude and then end at sea level, so there's a lot of descending terrain, but equally there are many small ascents where bringing back gaps is a tough task. The start has uphill ramps and the pan-flat roads only really come with 15 kilometers to go. It's a difficult one to control.

However, assuming it does come back and a bunch sprint happens, it will be a very fast one. A few roundabouts in the town of Burriana, from 2.8km to 800 meters to go there is a flat straight, and then the finishing straight are those final 800 meters, pan-flat and straightforward with no obstacles, but right by the sea where the wind can make a difference.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 5 - Breakaway a threat on day that is mostly designed for the sprinters

On the sixth day of racing the riders ride into a familiar sight for the second summit finish of the race. It will be at the Observatorio Astrofisico de Javalambre where the finish line will be positioned, with it's 12 kilometers at 7% providing terrain for differences to be made amongst the GC men. It's a day that is seemingly almost flat until the final climb but that's incredibly far from reality.

The riders start off which a 4.4-kilometer climb at 5%, and then they find several similar to that throughout the day. The 183 kilometers see only three categorized climbs, only one meaningful ascent, but it has 4000 meters of climbing. By no means will the riders arrive fresh to the ascent of the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre.

The ascent is 11.1 kilometers at 7.5%. Completely exposed to the sun, and wind if it's present, it's a tough ascent. The gradients are relatively constant in it's final kilometers between 8-11%, the start is relatively calm but with the fight for positioning the pace will be high. This is a stage that has Vuelta written all over, it will also be an important day for the overall classification, and one that forces the GC riders to be at their best early on.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 6 - Javalambre climb the first test for Remco Evenepoel in red

Stage seven will be a good sight for the peloton who find a flat stage. The first half of the day will largely be downhill which means the peloton can't afford to give the breakaway much of a gap, but the run-in to Oliva will be pan-flat.

However it's another day which finishes at significantly lower altitude than the start, 700 meters, which means fast speeds which favors breakaway. The opening half of the stage will be quite hilly in fact, featuring no categorized climb but plenty small hilltops where some fatigue will be created. However the second half of the day should be gentle enough to keep things under control.

It is most likely a day for a bunch sprint, through roads the peloton will know very well. The riders pass through the outside of Gandia and then finish very close to the area where dozens of teams train throughout the winter. In the town of Olivia is where the finish line will be, not an overly technical finale but a nervous one. The final corner will come with 350 meters to go and there will certainly be a sprint towards that, and then a second sprint towards the line.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 7 - Will Filippo Ganna win his first World Tour bunch sprint?

In cycling country, the riders set off from Dénia where many had their team training camps early in the year. However what follows is certainly harder, with five categorized climbs and many more en route to Xorret de Catí, where the steep gradients will see further damage done in the GC fight.

Another day without any brutal ascent before the finale but absolutely packed with climbing. Over 3600 meters of climbing with four categorized ascents in the first two thirds of the day, and plenty more uncategorized. The first 20 kilometers of the day are flat however, not ideal for the breakaway opportunists. The longest ascent of the day will have bonus seconds attributed at it's summit, the 11.1-kilometer Puerto de la Carrasqueta summits with 54 kilometers to go and averages 4.6%.

From there on follow rolling roads, several small hilltops where, if it's in the breakaway, the fight for the stage win will certainly explode as riders look to anticipate the final ascent. That one is a well known feature in the Vuelta, that is the incredibly steep Xorret de Catí.

The climb is 3.8 kilometers at 11.4%, but it's a mean climb in every aspect. It slowly steepens until it reaches 15% and then the riders face several minutes of racing at that gradient. There is no moment of restbite and not a single switchback in the ascent, it's a pure W/Kg challenge up the short ascent which can create big differences. The summit is at 3.6 kilometers to go, following is a very fast steep descent and the final 900 meters which slightly rise to the line.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 8 - Brutal Xorret del Catí the next major challenge for Evenepoel, Roglic, Vingegaard and others

Stage nine, the final day of the first week, doesn't show any mercy for those who dislike climbing. It is a hilly stage, likely one for the breakaway, as the riders tackle an interesting finale in Caravaca de la Cruz. An interesting day, a classic Vuelta stage I would say, the profile is very unusual and the final climb is as inconsistent as they come.

After a flat start the riders find the Puerto de Casas la Marina la Perdiz. It is 12.1 kilometers at 4.9%, however it does feature a small descent close to the summit. It is still very far away from the finish however, afterwards are a bunch of rolling hills and a plateau ride into the town of Caravaca de la Cruz. The finish is in the hills surrounding the town, an ascent that is something special.

The climb is 8.1 kilometers at 5.4% but the average doesn't tell the story. There are five small descent or flat sections spread all throughout the ascent. It is essentially a combination of ramps, on twisty explosive roads. Most riders will eye the final 3.5Km, the gradients will rise as high at 17%, and then the final kilometer averages close to 8%. It's not a climb that the riders will be able to ride at pace, it's a very difficult effort which can prove to be very complicated to manage for some.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 9 - Explosive Caravaca de la Cruz expected scene for battle between Evenepoel, Jumbo and UAE

The riders head into the second week of racing with the only individual time-trial of the race taking place. This will be in the city of Valladolid where the 25 kilometers against the clock will be a key challenge for those eyeing the red jersey.

This is an interesting time-trial when looking at the map. Profile wise it's virtually pan-flat, it does feature a small 500-meter long ramp early on but it's not what will be changing the outcome of the stage. When looking at the map you realize that the whole time-trial is within the city, all 25 kilometers of it, as the organizers drew a route which in it's first third rides around the same spot virtually but back and forth through some roads.

This won't make a change in the type of rider who can fight for the victory, but is an interesting aspect. The second half is almost completely an out-and-back time-trial, using the same avenue but in different directions. The riders will get the sense that they're racing around the same location throughout the whole time-trial but the distance allows for there to be meaningful gaps at the finish.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 10 - Filippo Ganna big favourite for flat time-trial; Evenepoel and Jumbo-Visma enter direct clash for red jersey

Very similar to the ninth day of racing, stage 11 is a complicated day due mostly due to it's finale. It's a stage that features little climbing but has a slight summit finish. This time in Burgos at La Laguna Negra, it's an explosive finale where several can contest the win.

163 kilometers on the menu and honestly not really much to mention. Virtually the entire day is flat, with small ascents as is always the case on Spanish roads, but no intermediate sprints, KOM points or anything too special. Then it heats up towards the finale, the organizers have put in yet another summit finish where the climbers will have to go to the limit.

It's not an overly hard climb, 6.6 kilometers at 6.6%. The speeds will be very high, the riders will enter fresh, so I expect a lot of slipstreaming and the lack of aggressive racing. The steepest section of the ascent will exactly be it's end, the final 500 meters have the road go at around 10%, it's most likely a stage to ride in the wheels and then fight for seconds in an anaerobic final kilometer.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 11 - Fireworks or GC stalemate as Laguna Negra de Vinuesa?

Stage 12 will be one of the brief but valuable opportunities for the pure sprinters. The day sees the riders go through 151 kilometers eastwards towards Zaragoza for a virtually inevitable bunch sprint. A seeming tradition in this year's route, the start line is at 989 meters of altitude and the finish at 210, so overall a downhill profile to the day.

However on this day there is very little to report, there are few obstacles for the fast men. A small hilltop after around 33 kilometers and another after 110. These won't be true climbs however, only the wind can cause difficulties on a day like this for a Grand Tour peloton.

However the riders will find an urban sprint. Entering Zaragoza, they then face a ride through the city, not overly technical but road furniture, section where the road width changes are always present. The main point to take into consideration will be the corner with 1.3 kilometers to go which is the final one, but from there on there is still space to regain position, the finale is flat and without anything unusual.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 12 - Before the high mountains, a return to the bunch sprint

The queen stage? Some were queen to call it that. Stage 13 was one that had been highly rumoured and turned out to be exactly as expected as the race heads into the Pyrenees, with a mammoth mountain stage. Not by size, as it extends over only 134 kilometers, but they are constantly up and down. The riders will go up the Col d'Aubisque and Col de Spandelles which individually are both very hard ascents, before the summit finish at the Col du Tourmalet above 2000 meters of altitude.

The stage immediately starts off climbing with the Puerto de Portalet, 4.4Km at 5.4%. A long descent follows, and then the serious climbing will begin. Almost immediately in fact, it is the famous Col d'Aubisque, one of the longest and toughest ascents of the Pyrenees, on this day only the first of three very difficult climbs. It is 16.6 kilometers long and a constant ascent averaging 7% which summits with 86 kilometers to go.

A descent follows which leads the riders at the base of the Col de Spandelles. This was a climb that saw plenty action in the final mountain stage of the 2022 Tour de France. Here it's unlikely to see the same type of move, however the potential is there. At it's summit there are still 52 kilometers to the finish, but with over 10 kilometers at 8% and packed with switchbacks, it can see the race break apart.

After it's descent comes the one real flat section of the day, however it is not too long. The riders gradually begin to climb into Luz-Saint-Sauveur, the base of the Tourmalet. 18.7 kilometers at 7.4%, very constant and with it's summit at 2115 meters. This is a day, and a final climb suited to the pure climbers. No getting out of it, it's a day that can see very big differences and the first of two key days in the Pyrenees.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 13 - Monster mountains in a day where Sepp Kuss faces red jersey challenge

The peloton will leave the Pyrenees, but not before another incredibly hard mountain challenge. Stage 14 from Sauvaterre-de-Béarn and Belagua will feature the Col Hourciére and the Port de Larrau in quick succession, both HC category climbs into the Spanish border. The stage will still see a first category summit finish at Belagua to wrap a very hard day.

If raced aggressively, this could end up being the queen stage. As is usually the case at the Tour de France however, the organizers decided to go with a flat start. This will not be good for the climbers looking to form a breakaway, it can end up limiting the tactical moves from the bigger teams. However after 50 kilometers of riding the mountains arrive.

The first of which is the Col Hourcère, it's 11.6 kilometers at 8.3%, in terms of profile incredibly similar to the Alpe d'Huez, coincidentally it also features plenty switchbacks. It summits with 91 kilometers to go however it's hard enough for any kind of attack that teams may plan.

The descent comes and leads the riders right to the base of the next climb, so there is very little time to reorganize. The Puerto de Larrau will follow quickly after, it's 15 kilometers long at 7.9% but is even harder than the average suggests. It's first 10 kilometers average over 9%, it's another brutal climb, two in a row will make it a very difficult mission.

There is a steep punch to it's summit which comes with 47 kilometers to go. The descent will now not be as long, in fact only a few kilometers long before reaching the third climb of the day, the easy by comparison Portillo de Lazar which summits with 33 kilometers to go, it's 3.2 kilometers at 5.8%.

Then there is a transition phase until the final climb. The riders have entered Spain but will come to the literal border with France once again. The climb to Belagua won't be as hard as the previous ones, however with the fatigue built up it can certainly be as dangerous. It's 9.4 kilometers long at 6.3%, it's final kilometer almost flat, most of the climb hence being a little steeper than the average. It is a climb that features plenty switchbacks, so the constant gradients don't mean that it's a hard place to attack.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 14 - With Kuss, Roglic and Vingegaard completing the podium, how will Jumbo-Visma race?

Stage 15 will be a hilly and explosive day, fit for the puncheurs and classics riders. The finale will be in Lekunberri after the riders take on the double ascent of the Puerto de Zuarrarrate. The riders will be happy to leave the high mountains however they must be fully focused for a day that features quite a few traps.

A technical and bumpy start is golden territory for a quality breakaway to form. This can see GC riders try out their luck in a day where GC teams want to save their legs most likely, but it's also prone to split which can be equally as dangerous. When it comes to the fight for the stage win - and GC battle, if it takes place - it will come down to the final circuit, in and around Lekunberri.

The riders will on two occasions climb the Puerto de Zuarrarrate which is 6.3 kilometers at 5.1%. Plenty riders can soar up an ascent such as this, it's a very open day. It summits with 38 and 9 kilometers to go, the descent is fast and straightfoward. Up the final ascent, if a rider goes solo over the summit it'll be near impossible to be brought back.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 15 - Breakaway day the end of an explosive second week

Stage 16 will be a very short day through the rugged Spanish north, with a brutal summit finish. It is a very untraditional stage format, but the day will be decided in the ascent to Bejes where the gradients will reach up often above 10% for almost five kilometers.

A truly remarkable day when it comes to how differently the organizers design stages. This, the first day of the final week, is almost designed to see incredible watts in the final ascent. Close to the sea, the race has 115 kilometers which are rolling but without any meaningful ascent. It's all about the final ascent to Bejes the day.

The finish will be just outside the scenic village. The climb is 4.9 kilometers at 8.7%, starting off very steep, having a bit of a flat section in it's middle, and then rolling along on gradients of mostly 10% all the way into the line. A grueling summit finish, it will make for interesting viewing, tactics won't matter much but instead it'll mostly be about the legs.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 16 - Sepp Kuss has lead tested in another tough summit finish

Stage 17 will be a brute, and an absolutely mythical day of climbing. The Asturian monster of 2023, the riders will be climbing the Alto de la Colladiella and the Alto der Cordal - both first category climbs - before directly riding up the Alto de l'Angliru for a summit finish. Almost 13 kilometers at 10% with several ramps over 20% will make for very large differences.

It is a very short day in terms of distance, 125 kilometers with a flat start - the Tour de France playbook was used once again. Ultimately it'll mean very little action to start off the day, it'll all be saved for the final half. The Alto de Colladiella will open things up with it's 6.5 kilometers at 8% finishing with 49 kilometers to go.

However the GC riders will begin to gauge their efforts more carefully afterwards. In 2017 Alberto Contador attacked in the Alto del Cordal, it's 5.7 kilometers at 8.5%, steep and with plenty switchbacks, the descent is exactly the same and leads to raiding territory. The only reason why it ends up being unlikely is because what comes next is a climb of breathtaking toughness.

From the base of the descent to the final climb. The mythical Angliru is 12.3 kilometers at 10%. The first half not too difficult, with some tough gradients but never above 10%, and it even includes a kilometer long flat section. What is brutal is what follows. 6.5 kilometers at 13.3%, with several sections where the gradients go above 20% - the steepest being the famous Cueña les Cabres at 23.5%.

It's just gruesome, there's very little that teammates can do here, it'll be down to the individual strength of the riders who try to get to the summit the fastest. Those behind will likely struggle just as much however. The summit of the climb is inside the final kilometer, the organizers place the finish line in a small descent after the peak.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 17 - Can Sepp Kuss seal the deal at the mythical Angliru?

Stage 18 will be another brutal day in the Asturias, a proper high mountain stage with three first category climbs among others. The finale will be atop La Cruz de Linares which the riders will be riding up on two different occasions with 8.5 kilometers at 8%.

The start is not too difficult, but it does feature some hilltops early enough to see the climbers trying to form a strong group ahead. The race will begin to be really hard at the Puerto de San Lorenzo, it ends with 90 kilometers to go, unlikely a place for attacks because in reality much of the toughness on the day is still to follow, however it's 10 kilometers at 8.5% - which take into account a flat section - are enough to cause havoc.

The Alto de Tenebredo is an ascent I'd say the same about. It is shadowed by the brutal long ascents that sandwich it, but on it's own it's crazy hard, with 3.4 kilometers in length, most at above 10%, the average is close to it but it does feature a small descent. This one ends with 58 kilometers to go. But only then will the riders head into the final circuit where the big attacks are expected.

This will be a double ascent of La Cruz de Linares. The final true big climb of the race, it's 8.2 kilometers at 8.5% average gradient. Not the most constant climb, it features a bit of a plateau near the top, it also sees gradients almost constantly in the 10% in it's first half. A brutal one. The riders will summit it with 25 kilometers to go, and after a fast descent and small flat section, they will have to do it all over again.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 18 - Sepp Kuss' red jersey closer and closer to fall towards Jonas Vingegaard or Primoz Roglic

A transition stage. The 19th day of racing at the Vuelta a Espana will see the riders race from La Bañeza to Íscar on what is a perfect day for the sprinters. No climbing, no more small ring riding, it will be a well deserved calmer day in the peloton. That is of course, until the final kilometers, where for different reasons some will hit the front to protect their ambitions.

This stage will be all about the sprint - as long as the wind doesn't blow hard on the exposed plains the peloton will ride by. Technical features you won't see them, a very simple and plain finale, one that I can't throw any criticism because it diminishes the chances of there being crashes.

The final kilometers are pan-flat, the final corner will be there with 2.3 kilometers to go. It's a finale where timing will be key. There won't be thinning down or narrowing points, so it's a matter of coming to the front at the right time, a balance between staying in the wheels as late as possible and saving as much as possible within circumstances.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 19 - Surviving sprinters get a much deserved opportunity following the mountains

The final day of competitive racing. The Vuelta a Espana has once again surpassed itself in what has proven to be a very popular profile amongst fans. The day will not feature a single long ascent, but will be riddled with climbs throughout a whole 208 kilometers. It will be in the Sierra de Guadarrama that the race will be decided as the riders take on 10 categorized climbs and several others where the climbers may be out of their comfort zone and lose it all.

The final day of competitive racing. The Vuelta a Espana has once again surpassed itself in what has proven to be a very popular profile amongst fans. It is a confusing, messy, explosive day if you've ever seen one as a final GC challenge for a Grand Tour. It is in my eyes brilliant, the climbers have spent three weeks battling in the many mountain stages and summit finishes for the GC, but now in the final day they find a long day with 10 medium-sized categorized climbs, and plenty others.

It is a bumpy ride in the Sierra de Madrid. The riders can see the finale but they first have 4400 meters of climbing, without a single long ascent. The day starts off immediately with a 10.8 kilometer climb at 3.4% - which is on profile a combination of two hilltops. Then follows a 7.1Km climb at 5% which is ultimately the longest of the day.

Then two laps of a circuit with La Escondida (8.8Km; 4.2%), Alto de Santa Maria de Alameda (5Km; 5.6%) and the Alto de Robledondo (3.9Km; 6.2%). This can be a key part of the course, in the space of 32 kilometers the riders find four ascents and nothing but descents inbetween, no flat terrain whatsoever (on both laps). On the final passage, they will have 84, 67 and 61 kilometers to the finish. After it's descent comes another uncategorized ascent with 2.6Km at 6.8% which ends at 46 kilometers to the finish in Guadarrama.

Then the race can stabilize a bit, but it does not mean it'll get easier. The peloton tackles the Puerto de la Cruz Verde which is 7.3 kilometers at 3.9%, featuring a steeper finale than the average gradient suggests. The descent is steep and fast into the final climb. The riders enter San Lorenzo de El Escorial, town which has hosted on many occasions the end of the stage when these mountains are tackled.

This time however the riders climb through town, the final ascent of this race is 4.5 kilometers long at 6.6%, not too hard but it features a section as steep at 18%. It's such a harsh finale to the climbing in this race, riders will already have almost 200 kilometers of roller-coaster by this moment and the slightest of weak moments can lead to big losses and a complete change in the GC.

The riders descent back into the plain and then the final 8 kilometers will be flat. This will lead those who survived into Guadarrama for the finale of the stage, gaps aren't expected but there is still a mean ramp to the finish line.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 20 - Remco Evenepoel's last win opportunity, Sepp Kuss' red jersey final challenge and Jumbo-Visma celebrations

The race finally reaches it's end, into Madrid. A short flat day with no difficulties, it will be a big reward for the fast men who've survived a brutal race to make it into Madrid.

The day will see the peloton ride into the city where they will tackle a 5.8-kilometer circuit a total of nine times. The riders will have an 180 degree turn with 3.5 kilometers to go and a sharp right hander with 2.4 which will be natural selection points, with the bunch stretching out. The final straight will be 1.1 kilometers long after a long roundabout, with the bunch sprint set to be a regular one, hopefully with no crashes in sight.

PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 21 - Final opportunity for the sprinters, as Jumbo-Visma complete historic achievement

Read more about:, place comments.

You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.

Confirmation

Are you sure you want to report this comment?

UNDER_ARTICLE

Tue 09 Apr 2024

Mon 08 Apr 2024

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia

La Vuelta ciclista a España

• World Championships
• Amstel Gold Race
• Milano-Sanremo
• Tirreno-Adriatico
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• Il Lombardia
• La Flèche Wallonne
• Paris - Nice
• Paris-Roubaix
• Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
• Critérium du Dauphiné
• Tour des Flandres
• Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
• Clásica Ciclista San Sebastián
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Groupama - FDJ
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• BORA - hansgrohe
• Bahrain - Victorious
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Lidl - Trek
• Movistar Team
• Soudal - Quick Step
• Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• UAE Team Emirates
• Arkéa - B&B Hotels
• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Grand tours
• Countdown to 3 billion pageviews
• Favorite500
• Profile Score
• Stage 21 Results
• Top competitors
• Startlist quality
• All stage profiles
• Hardest stages
• Winners and leaders
• Prizemoney ranking
• Fastest stages
• Statistics - Statistics
• Startlist - Startlist
• More - More
• Teams - Teams
• Nations - Nations
• Route - Route
• Results - Results
•   »  
• Overview map

• Longest stage
• Arrivals and departure cities
• Longest transitions

Grand Tours

• Vuelta a España

Major Tours

• Volta a Catalunya
• Tour de Romandie
• Tour de Suisse
• Itzulia Basque Country
• Milano-SanRemo
• Ronde van Vlaanderen

Championships

• European championships

Top classics

• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
• Strade Bianche
• Gent-Wevelgem
• Dwars door vlaanderen
• Eschborn-Frankfurt
• San Sebastian
• Bretagne Classic
• GP Montréal

Popular riders

• Tadej Pogačar
• Wout van Aert
• Remco Evenepoel
• Jonas Vingegaard
• Mathieu van der Poel
• Mads Pedersen
• Primoz Roglic
• Demi Vollering
• Lotte Kopecky
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma
• PCS ranking
• UCI World Ranking
• Points per age
• Latest injuries
• Youngest riders
• Grand tour statistics
• Monument classics
• Latest transfers
• Favorite 500
• Points scales
• Profile scores
• Reset password
• Cookie consent

About ProCyclingStats

• Cookie policy
• Contributions
• Pageload 0.0146s

Vuelta a España 2023 route revealed with Tourmalet - Angliru double-whammy

More mountains, more misery - the 78th edition of Spanish Grand Tour is one for the pure climbers

The 2023 Vuelta a España returns to the high mountains with a vengeance next September, with the renowned ascents of the Col du Tourmalet and the Alto de l'Angliru looking set to shape the race.

While the 2022 race was all but decided in the mid-race time trial in Benidorm, the demanding 2023 route is much more likely to favour the out-and-out climbers.

A return to the Pyrenees, three major summit finishes in the first week and a very tough final run through the Picos de Europa and Sierras de Guadarrama mountains all feature in a race which kicks off in Barcelona on August 26th and concludes in Madrid on September 17th after 3,153 kilometres.

As a former racer and multiple Vuelta podium finisher, Joaquim Rodríguez observed when the route was presented in Barcelona on Tuesday evening, "there's a mid-race time trial in Valladolid, but I don't think it'll be tough enough to change the overall outcome in favour of the climbers."

The rumours around the Vuelta a España 2023 route ahead of Tuesday's presentation Vuelta a España 2023 route could include Angliru alongside Tourmalet Remco Evenepoel wins 2022 Vuelta a España

In marked contrast to 2022's flat trio of opening stages in the Netherlands, after a short, nervous team time trial through the streets of Barcelona, the first major trek into the mountains of the 2023 Vuelta comes as soon as stage 3 into Andorra, with a first category summit finish at Suria-Arinsal.

48 hours later, having U-turned and headed south back into Spain, another difficult first-category ascent to the Javalambre, last used in the 2019 Vuelta a España, awaits the riders. But if the approach roads to the Javalambre on narrowing twisting roads in the little-known province of Teruel are arguably as tough as the final climb, the 20% slopes of Xorret de Cati on stage 8 just before the finish will surely see the sparks fly between the GC favourites.

After a long transfer north, the only individual time trial of the race on stage 10 through the flatlands of Valladolid could give the specialists against the clock a chance to shine. However, even before the riders hit the Pyrenees, they will have to tackle the onerous ascent to Laguna Negra de Vinuesa on stage 11, where Dan Martin triumphed against the GC favourites with a blistering late charge for the line.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

The first full mountain stage comes 48 hours later as the Vuelta makes its return to the Tourmalet for the first time in 28 years. The last time it appeared was in 1995 when it was used en route to a finish at Luz Ardiden. This time it forms an unprecedented summit finish on one of the Tour de France's most hallowed climbs. Preceded by the Col d'Aubisque and another arduous Pyrenean ascent, the Col de Spandelles, all in France, the 134-kilometre stage should see a clear hierarchy emerge in the GC battle.

If the Vuelta peloton thinks they have finished with the Pyrenees by then, they had better think again. An almost equally tough stage is then on the menu 24 hours later, with two less famous but almost equally difficult hors categorie climbs, the Col Hourcére and Puerto de Larrau, taking the riders back into Spain, and preceding a first category summit finish, the seventh of ten in total, at the Belagua ski station in Navarre.

By this point, the riders will have tackled four hors categorie climbs, three more than in the whole of the 2022 race. But in stark comparison to 2022's relatively easy third week, the Vuelta will then head into the Picos de Europa for a fifth hors categorie ascent, and arguably the most difficult of the entire race. 

Stage 17 will see the Vuelta return to the Angliru, widely credited as the hardest single climb in the whole of Spain, and with such ridiculously steep slopes that in wet conditions often riders struggle to stay upright . Indeed, the Angliru is so tough that in some Vueltas, like 2020, it can end up producing a stalemate. In others, though, like in 2013 when Chris Horner beat Vincenzo Nibali into second place, it has decided the race.

Unlike in 2022, which ended with a set piece mountain stage through the sierras of Madrid, stage 20 harks back to the 2021 finale, where organisers Unipublic designed a spectacularly successful route of short, punchy climbs designed to evoke Liège-Bastogne-Liège . That was in Galicia in Spain's far north-west, and this time the 208-kilometre stage runs through the sierras of Guadarrama north of Madrid. But the idea of a 'sting in the tail' stage is exactly the same.

While the breakaways will have plenty of opportunities on days with 'easy' final ascents like stage 2 to Montjuic in Barcelona, stage 9 to Caravaca de la Cruz or the short punchy stage 15 through the Cantabrian coast to Bejes, there is a marked drop in the number of pure sprint stages compared to 2022, from eight to five.

"It's a different Vuelta route to last year," race director Javier Guillen told Spanish TV at the end of the presentation, "but even when we were designing the 2022 course, we were already thinking about how we could do things differently in 2023."

"There's also the change in dates of the World Championships , coming just before the Vuelta for the first time ever, and we don't know how that will affect the race, either. But the important thing is that the public enjoy the spectacle."

2023 Vuelta a España route

• Saturday August 26th: Stage 1: Barcelona - Barcelona TTT 14.6km
• Sunday August 27th: Stage 2: Mataro - Barcelona 181.3km
• Monday August 28th: Stage 3: Barcelona - Andorra 158.5km
• Tuesday August 29th: Stage 4: Andorra la Vella.Andorra - Tarragona 183.4km
• Wednesday August 30th: Stage 5 Morella - Burriana 185.7km
• Thursday August 31st: Stage 6: La Vall d'Uixó - Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre 181.3km
• Friday September 1st: Stage 7: Utiel  - Oliva 188.8km
• Saturday September 2nd: Stage 8: Denia -  Xorret de Cati 164.8
• Sunday September 3rd: Stage 9: Cartagena - Caravaca de la Cruz 180.9km
• Monday September 4th: Rest day 1
• Tuesday September 5th: Stage 10: Valladolid - Valladolid ITT 25km
• Wednesday September 6th: Stage 11: Lerma - La Laguna Negra.Vinuesa 163.2km
• Thursday September 7th: Stage 12: Ólvega - Zaragoza 165.4km
• Friday September 8th: Stage 13: Formigal  - Tourmalet (France) 134.7km
• Saturday September 9th: Stage 14: Sauveterre-de-Béarn - Larra-Belagua 161.7km
• Sunday September 10th: Stage 15: Pamplona - Lekunberri 156.5km
• Monday September 11th: Rest day 2
• Tuesday September 12th: Stage 16: Liencres Playa - Bejes 119.7km
• Wednesday September 13th: Stage 17: Ribadesella/Ribeseya - Altu de L'Angliru 122.6km
• Thursday September 14th: Stage 18: Pola de Allande - La Cruz de Linares 178.9km
• Friday September 15th: Stage 19: La Bañeza - Íscar 177.4km
• Saturday September 16th: Stage 20: Manzanares El Real - Guadarrama 208.4km
• Sunday September 17th: Stage 21: Hipódromo de la Zarzuela - Madrid. Paisaje de la Luz 101km

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews , he has also written for The Independent ,  The Guardian ,  ProCycling , The Express and Reuters .

SD Worx tick off 'wish list' victory with Paris-Roubaix glory

After tears, Elisa Balsamo finds satisfaction in Paris-Roubaix second place

'We put all our cards on the sprint' - Lidl-Trek, Van Dijk analyse Paris-Roubaix final

Most Popular

By Alasdair Fotheringham April 06, 2024

By Laura Weislo April 05, 2024

By Dani Ostanek April 05, 2024

By Alasdair Fotheringham April 05, 2024

By Josh Croxton April 05, 2024

By Stephen Farrand April 05, 2024

By Alasdair Fotheringham, James Moultrie April 05, 2024

By Will Jones April 05, 2024

By James Moultrie April 05, 2024

2023 Edition

• Sporting stakes
• Media Figures
• Future on a bike

Photos & Videos

LA VUELTA TRAVELS WITH IRYO, OFFICIAL TRAIN AND SPONSOR FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

La vuelta travels with bcd sports, the race’s new....

Škoda renews as main sponsor of La Vuelta and La...

La Vuelta 24: Teams selection

2023 rankings

Stage 1 | 08/17 Lisboa > Oeiras

Stage 2 | 08/18 cascais > ourém, stage 3 | 08/19 lousã > castelo branco, stage 4 | 08/20 plasencia > pico villuercas, stage 5 | 08/21 fuente del maestre > sevilla, stage 6 | 08/22 carrefour jerez sur. jerez de la frontera > yunquera, stage 7 | 08/23 archidona > córdoba, stage 8 | 08/24 úbeda > cazorla, stage 9 | 08/25 motril > granada, stage 10 | 08/27 ponteareas > baiona, stage 11 | 08/28 campus tecnológico cortizo. padrón > campus tecnológico cortizo. padrón, stage 12 | 08/29 ourense termal > estación de montaña de manzaneda, stage 13 | 08/30 lugo > puerto de ancares, stage 14 | 08/31 villafranca del bierzo > villablino, stage 15 | 09/01 infiesto > valgrande-pajares. cuitu negru, stage 16 | 09/03 luanco > lagos de covadonga, stage 17 | 09/04 monumento juan de castillo. arnuero > santander, stage 18 | 09/05 vitoria-gasteiz > maeztu-parque natural de izki, stage 19 | 09/06 logroño > alto de moncalvillo, stage 20 | 09/07 villarcayo > picón blanco, stage 21 | 09/08 distrito telefónica. madrid > madrid.

Get exclusive information about La Vuelta

General Ranking

> Withdrawals

Accreditations

Privacy statement & cookie policy, your gdpr rights.

• Vuelta a España
• Stages - Results
• Previous winners
• Football Home
• Fixtures - Results
• Premier League
• Champions League
• Europa League
• All Competitions
• All leagues
• Snooker Home
• World Championship
• UK Championship
• Major events
• Tennis Home
• Calendar - Results
• Australian Open
• Roland-Garros
• Mountain Bike Home
• UCI Track CL Home
• Men's standings
• Women's standings
• Cycling Home
• Race calendar
• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Dare to Dream
• Alpine Skiing Home
• Athletics Home
• Diamond League
• World Championships
• World Athletics Indoor Championships
• Biathlon Home
• Cross-Country Skiing Home
• Cycling - Track
• Equestrian Home
• Figure Skating Home
• Formula E Home
• Calendar - results
• DP World Tour
• MotoGP Home
• Motorsports Home
• Speedway GP
• Clips and Highlights
• Olympics Home
• Olympic Channel
• Rugby World Cup predictor
• Premiership
• Champions Cup
• Challenge Cup
• All Leagues
• Ski Jumping Home
• Speedway GP Home
• Superbikes Home
• The Ocean Race Home
• Triathlon Home
• Hours of Le Mans
• Winter Sports Home

How to watch Vuelta a Espana 2023: When does stage coverage start each day? Who has won so far?

Updated 16/09/2023 at 21:26 GMT

The return of the Angliru, a trip up the Tourmalet, and no fewer than nine uphill finishes – the 78th edition of La Vuelta in 2023 promises to be as punishing as ever. Kicking off in Barcelona with a team time trial, the 3,154km route also features one pan-flat individual race against the clock, numerous hilly tests, and just four flat stages for the sprinters. Let's take a look at every stage.

Highlights from Stage 9 of Vuelta a Espana as Kamna wins to complete Grand Tour set

'There was no more teamwork' - Jumbo-Visma SD opens up on Angliru fallout

27/10/2023 at 10:41

Vuelta a Espana 2023 route map

• Vuelta a Espana 2023: Six key stages as Jumbo-Visma grand slam
• Vuelta a Espana 2023: Red jersey guide – Evenepoel's biggest rivals

Stage 1: Barcelona – Barcelona, 14.8km (TTT)

Stage 2: mataro – barcelona, 182km (hilly).

Highlights from Stage 2 of 2023 Vuelta a Espana as Kron wins on rain-hit day

Stage 3: Suria – Arinsal Andorra, 158.5km (summit)

Highlights: Evenepoel powers to Stage 3 win, then crashes in finish area

Stage 4: Andorra la Vella – Tarragona, 185km (hilly/sprint)

Highlights: Groves sprints to victory on Stage 4 of Vuelta

Stage 5: Morella – Burriana, 186.5km (hilly/sprint)

Highlights: Groves takes second victory in a row to win Stage 5 of Vuelta

Stage 6: La Vall d’Uixo – Pico del Buitre, 183,5km (summit)

Highlights from Stage 6 of Vuelta a Espana as Kuss wins, Jumbo-Visma inflict pain on Evenepoel

Stage 7: Utiel – Oliva, 201km (flat)

Highlights from Stage 7 of Vuelta a Espana as Soupe claims surprise win

Stage 8: Denia – Xorret de Cati, 165km (mountains)

Roglic wins leg-sapping sprint to take Stage 8 of Vuelta, Kuss grabs race lead

Stage 9: Cartagena – Collado de la Cruz de Caravaca, 184.5km (summit)

Stage 10: Valladolid – Valladolid – 25.8km ITT

Stage 10 highlights: Ganna wins individual time trial

Stage 11: Lerma – La Laguna Negra, 163.5km (flat/uphill finish)

Highlights: Herrada launches late move to take Stage 11 win at Vuelta

Stage 12: Olvega – Zaragoza, 151km (flat/sprint)

Highlights as UAE launch Molano to perfection to pip Groves to win Stage 12 of Vuelta

Stage 13: Formigal – Col du Tourmalet, 135km (summit)

Stage 14: Sauveterre-de-Bearn – Larra-Belagua, 156.5km (summit)

Stage 15: Pamplona – Lekunberri, 158.5km (hilly)

Stage 16: Liencres Playa – Bejes, 120.5km (uphill finish)

Stage 17: Ribadesella – Alto de L’Angliru, 125km (summit)

Stage 18: Pola de Allande – La Cruz de Linares,179km (summit)

Stage 19: La Baneza – Iscar, 177.5km (flat/sprint)

Stage 20: Manzanares El Real – Guadarrama – 208km (hilly)

STILL TO COME...

Stage 21: hipodrome de la zarzuela – madrid, 101.5km (flat).

Evenepoel 'ready to attack Tour de France' after Vuelta rollercoaster - Voigt

20/09/2023 at 10:32

Roglic made 'big sacrifice' for Kuss to win Vuelta - Voigt

19/09/2023 at 13:29

‘It is life changing’ - Kuss hailed by Blythe, Lloyd after incredible Vuelta victory

17/09/2023 at 22:34

Are you sure you want to delete this route?

Route planner

Create your own plan for your trip to Spain with a route to suit your requirements

Official games

2023 Edition

• Stage winners
• All the videos

Tour Culture

• Commitments
• key figures
• Sporting Stakes
• "Maillot Jaune" Collection
• The jerseys

TOTAL: 3492 km

This will be the first Grand Départ in Italy and the 26th that’s taken place abroad  First finale in Nice. Due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Paris, the race will not finish in the French capital for the first time.

Two time trials. 25 + 34 = 59km in total, the second of them taking place on the final Monaco>Nice stage. This will be the first time the race has seen a finale of this type for 35 years, the last occasion being the famous Fignon - LeMond duel in 1989.

Apennines (Italy), the Italian and French Alps, Massif Central and Pyrenees will be the mountain ranges on the 2024 Tour route.

The number of countries visited in 2024: Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France. Within France, the race will pass through 7 Regions and 30 departments.

The number of bonus points 8, 5 and 2 bonus seconds go to the first three classified riders, featuring at strategic points along the route (subject to approval by the International Cycling Union)these will have no effect on the points classification. Bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three classified riders at road stage finishes.

Out of a total of 39, the locations or stage towns that are appearing on the Tour map for the first time . In order of appearance: Florence, Rimini, Cesenatico, Bologna, Piacenza, Saint-Vulbas, Gevrey-Chambertin, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, Évaux-les-Bains, Gruissan, Superdévoluy, Col de la Couillole.

The number of sectors on white roads during stage nine, amounting to 32km in total .

The number of stages: 8 flat, 4 hilly, 7 mountain (with 4 summit finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000, Col de la Couillole), 2 time trials and 2 rest days.

The number of riders who will line up at the start of the Tour, divided into 22 teams of 8 riders each.

The height of the summit of the Bonette pass in the Alps, the highest tarmac road in France, which will be the “roof” of the 2024 Tour.

The total vertical gain during the 2024 Tour de France.

PRIZE MONEY

A total of 2,3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders including € 500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual classification .

Receive exclusive news about the Tour

Accreditations

Privacy policy, your gdpr rights.

Subscribe or renew today

Every print subscription comes with full digital access

Science News

Explore a map of the next 15 total solar eclipses.

In case you miss this year’s solar eclipse, there are 14 more in the next 20 years

This map of eclipse paths from 2024 to 2044 reveals that Australia hit the jackpot: Over just 11 years, the continent (lower right) will see four total solar eclipses — in 2028, 2030, 2037 and 2038.

Alley Interactive, A. Buki

Share this:

By Christopher Crockett

April 4, 2024 at 12:00 pm

It’s never too soon to start thinking about the next solar eclipse.

On April 8, the moon’s shadow will sweep across North America , bringing a total solar eclipse over the homes of more than 30 million people ( SN: 1/4/24 ). But even as the shadow departs the continent in eastern Canada, the stage will be getting set for the next total eclipse. And the one after that. And the one after that.

That’s because there’s an order underpinning the mechanics that lead to any eclipse. The breathtaking celestial event is driven by the relentless, repeating rhythms of the Earth’s and moon’s motions. And that means that eclipses of all kinds — not just total solar ones — are predictable across millennia.

Thanks to that predictability, it’s possible to precisely map upcoming solar eclipses. To make this interactive map, Science News relied on NASA’s “Five millennium canon of solar eclipses”  database, a detailed accounting of every solar eclipse from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 3000.

That time span encompasses nearly 12,000 solar eclipses, roughly 3,200 of which are total eclipses. Showing them all would be a bit much. Instead, we show the tracks of the next 15 total solar eclipses, from 2024 to 2044.

In the map, the path for nearly every eclipse (differentiated by color) is marked with three lines: the northern- and southernmost edges of the band in which people will see a total eclipse and the centerline of that band. Along that line, totality lasts longer than near the edges. People in a wide swath to either side of each outer band will be able to see a partial eclipse.

Clicking on a path will offer up some details about that eclipse: The date, the time (in Universal Time ) at which the sun will be eclipsed the longest, the duration of that maximum extent and the width of the eclipse path. And typing a city, landmark or address into the map’s search bar will zoom to that spot, so you can see if any eclipses are due to visit any of your favorite haunts.

And for this year’s eclipse, clicking on any of the white flags along the path will reveal the exact time (also in Universal Time) and duration of totality at that spot.

There is one eclipse here that is a bit unusual. That one will pass through eastern Siberia on April 9, 2043 . On the map, only one line appears — the southernmost limit of totality — because the centerline doesn’t intersect with Earth’s surface. In this “noncentral eclipse,” the centerline and the whole northern half of the shadow will miss Earth entirely, cast off into the depths of space.

Hardcore eclipse fans, intent on seeing every kind imaginable, might want to plan for that one. The next noncentral total eclipse won’t happen until 2459 .

More Stories from Science News on Space

​​During the awe of totality, scientists studied our planet’s reactions

The largest 3-D map of the universe reveals hints of dark energy’s secrets

How a 19th century astronomer can help you watch the total solar eclipse

During a total solar eclipse, some colors really pop. Here’s why

A new image reveals magnetic fields around our galaxy’s central black hole

Titan’s dark dunes could be made from comets

‘Space: The Longest Goodbye’ explores astronauts’ mental health

Did the James Webb telescope ‘break the universe’? Maybe not

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.

Not a subscriber? Become one now .

Your last-minute guide to Monday's total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross North America on Monday , offering millions a rare opportunity to see afternoon skies temporarily darken as the moon blocks the face of the sun.

Tune into NBC News NOW as Lester Holt hosts a two-hour special at 2 p.m. ET Monday from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The eclipse's path fortuitously cuts across Mexico, 15 U.S. states and a small part of eastern Canada. In all other states in the continental U.S., viewers will be treated to a partial solar eclipse, with the moon appearing to take a bite out of the sun and obscuring part of its light.

Here’s everything you need to know about the rare celestial event.

What is a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipses occur when the sun, moon and Earth align. The moon passes between Earth and sun, temporarily blocking the sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon fully obscures the sun, whereas a partial solar eclipse means it blocks just a portion of the sun’s face.

Solar eclipses occur only with the new moon. Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted, the three bodies don’t always line up in a way that creates an eclipse.

“Imagine if the moon’s orbit were in the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun — if that were the case, then every new moon, you’d have a total solar eclipse and every full moon, you’d have a lunar eclipse,” Neil DeGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, told NBC News. “So, because things don’t always align, it lends to the rarity of the event and the specialness of the event.”

Where and when will the eclipse be visible?

This year’s eclipse will follow a slightly wider path over more populated areas of the continental U.S. than other total solar eclipses have in the recent past.

NASA estimates that 31.6 million people live within what’s known as the path of totality, where the total solar eclipse will be visible. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path, according to the agency.

The path travels through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Tiny parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also be able to witness totality if conditions are clear.

After the eclipse crosses into Canada, it will pass over southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, at the eastern end of Nova Scotia.

Those outside the path of totality can still take part in the astronomical event by viewing a partial solar eclipse — visible throughout all 48 states of the contiguous U.S. — or a NASA livestream.

The timing, including how long totality lasts, depends on the location, but some spots will see the moon fully cover the sun for up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

Below is a list of timings for some cities along the path of totality, as  provided by NASA . A number of other resources, including NationalEclipse.com  and  TimeandDate.com , can also help people plan.

• Dallas: Partial eclipse begins at 12:23 p.m. CT and totality at 1:40 p.m.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: Partial eclipse begins at 12:33 p.m. CT and totality at 1:51 p.m.
• Cleveland: Partial eclipse begins at 1:59 p.m. ET and totality at 3:13 p.m.
• Buffalo, New York: Partial eclipse begins at 2:04 p.m. ET and totality at 3:18 p.m.
• Lancaster, New Hampshire: Partial eclipse begins at 2:16 p.m. ET and totality at 3:27 p.m.

How to safely view a solar eclipse

It is never safe to gaze directly at the sun, even when it is partly or mostly covered by the moon. Special eclipse glasses or  pinhole projectors  are required to safely view solar eclipses and prevent eye damage. Failing to take the proper precautions can result in severe eye injury,  according to NASA .

Eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than normal sunglasses and specially made to enable wearers to look at the sun during these kinds of celestial events.

Sky-watchers should also never view any part of the sun through binoculars, telescopes or camera lenses unless they have specific solar filters attached. Eclipse glasses should not be used with these devices, as they will not provide adequate protection.

However, during the few minutes of totality, when the moon is fully blocking the sun, it is safe to look with the naked eye.

Beware of fake eclipse glasses. On legitimate pairs, the lenses should have a silver appearance on the front and be black on the inside. The manufacturer’s name and address should be clearly labeled, and they should not be torn or punctured. Check, as well, for the ISO logo and the code “IS 12312-2” printed on the inside.

If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can make a homemade pinhole projector, which lets sunlight in through a small hole, focuses it and projects it onto a piece of paper, wall or other surface to create an image of the sun that is safe to look at. 

All you need is two pieces of white cardboard or plain white paper, aluminum foil and a pin or thumbtack. Cut a 1- to 2-inch square or rectangle out of the center of a piece of white paper or cardboard. Tape aluminum foil over that cut-out shape, then use a pin or thumbtack to poke a tiny hole in the foil.

During the eclipse, place a second piece of white paper or cardboard on the ground as a screen and hold the projector with the foil facing up and your back to the sun. Adjusting how far you hold the projector from the second piece of paper will alter the size of the image on the makeshift screen.

What to look for while viewing the total solar eclipse

For people along the path of totality, there are some fun milestones to keep track of as the total solar eclipse unfolds.

As the eclipse progresses and the sun gets thinner in the sky, it will start to get eerily dark, according to Tyson.

When the last beams of sunlight are about to become obscured, look out for the “diamond ring effect”: The sun’s atmosphere will appear as an illuminated halo, and the last light still visible will look like the diamond of a giant ring.

As the sunlight decreases even further, an effect known as Baily’s beads will be created by the moon’s rugged terrain. Tiny “beads” of light will be visible for only a few seconds around the dark moon, as the last bits of sunlight peer through the moon’s mountains and valleys.

When the moon is fully blocking the sun, it is safe to remove eclipse glasses and look at the total solar eclipse with the naked eye.

Some lucky sky-watchers may even catch a glimpse of a comet .

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks — nicknamed the “ devil comet ” because an eruption last year left it with two distinct trails of gas and ice in the shape of devil horns — is currently visible from the Northern Hemisphere as it swings through the inner solar system.

The comet can be seen in the early evenings by gazing toward the west-northwest horizon. During the eclipse, when skies darken during totality, it may be possible to see the comet near Jupiter, but its visibility will depend on whether it’s in the middle of an outburst and thus brighter than normal.

Most likely, all eyes will be on the alignment of the moon and sun.

“Most people won’t even notice,” Tyson said. “But if you know to look, it’s there.”

When is the next solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse will be in 2026, but it will mostly pass over the Arctic Ocean, with some visibility in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and northern Spain. In 2027, a total solar eclipse will be visible in Spain and a swath of northern Africa.

The next total solar eclipse visible from North America will be in 2033, but only over Alaska. Then in 2044, a total solar eclipse will cross Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Canada and Greenland.

The next total solar eclipse to cross the continental U.S. coast-to-coast in will occur in 2045. The path of totality for that eclipse will cut through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

Lucas Thompson is a content producer for the NBC News Climate Unit.

Vuelta 2023: Vingegaard wins on steep finish climb, Kuss still leader

Results 16th stage 2023 Vuelta

1. Jonas Vingegaard (den) 2. Finn Fisher-Black (nzl) + 0.43 3. Wout Poels (nld) + 0.49 4. Michael Storer (aus) + 0.55 5. Juan Ayuso (spa) + 1.01 6. Enric Mas (spa) s.t. 7. Aleksandr Vlasov (rus) s.t. 8. Primoz Roglic (slo) s.t. 9. Mikel Landa (spa) + 1.05 10. Sepp Kuss (usa) s.t.

11. João Almeida (por) + 1.09 12. Cian Uijtdebroeks (bel) + 1.13 14. Marc Soler (spa) + 1.23

GC after stage 16 1. Sepp Kuss (usa) 2. Jonas Vingegaard (den) + 0.29 3. Primoz Roglic (slo) + 1.33 4. Juan Ayuso (spa) + 2.33 5. Enric Mas (spa) + 3.02 6. Marc Soler (spa) + 3.28 7. Mikel Landa (spa) + 4.12 8. Aleksandr Vlasov (rus) + 4.58 9. Cian Uijtdebroeks (bel) + 5.38 10. João Almeida (por) + 8.43

Race report Andreas Kron jumps off the front at kilometre 7. Samuele Battistella, Louis Vervaeke, Romain Grégoire, Kaden Groves, Andrea Piccolo, Paul Lapeira, Matteo Sobrero, Romain Bardet and Max Poole bridge across.

INEOS Grenadiers keeps chasing and a regroupment takes place with almost 80 kilometres remaining.

Some 10 kilometres later, Bardet goes again with Cattaneo. The latter goes again when they are caught, this time with Lorenzo Germani. Julius van den Berg, Nicolas Prodhomme, Max Poole and Joel Nicolau track the two down and they open up a maximum lead of 1.20 minutes.

Jumbo-Visma sets the pace to keep the attackers at bay. The catch is made inside the last 11 kilometres.

Jonas Vingegaard strikes almost 4 kilometres before the finish. Finn Fisher-Black and Wout Poels go after him, but the Tour de Champion extends his lead.

A late attack by Primoz Roglic is neutralised, while Vingegaard ploughs on to the stage win. He moves up to second place and Sepp Kuss retains La Roja.

Another interesting read: route 16th stage 2023 Vuelta.

Vuelta a España 2023 stage 16: routes, profiles, more

Click on the images to zoom