It’s time for the final Grand Tour of the 2026 cycling season, which means more than 180 of the world’s top riders are heading toward Spain for another 21 days of action at the Vuelta a España.
The race will take place Aug. 22 to Sept. 13 and cover nearly 3,300 kilometers, but before the event hits the mainland of Spain, Monaco will get the honor of hosting the Grand Départ for the first time.
The hospitality also makes Monaco the first country to host the opening stage of all three Grand Tours – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and La Vuelta.
Viewers in Canada can watch every stage of this year’s Vuelta a España on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
- Subscribe To FloBikes To Catch All The Best Cycling, News And Highlights
- Vuelta a España 2026 To Start In Monaco And Finish In Granada
- Tadej Pogačar To Race The Vuelta a España 2026
- Who Won Stage 21 Of The Tour de France 2026? See The Full TDF Results Here
The first stage of the Vuelta a España 2026 will be a short, but technical, 9-kilometer individual time trial within Monaco, passing many of the area’s iconic landmarks.
Stage 2 also will give the riders the chance to enjoy the heritage, architecture and incredible scenery. The day will begin at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.
This year’s international course will span four countries. After Monaco and France, the peloton will pass through Andorra, before entering Spain in Stage 5, and the remainder of the race will take place there, concluding in Granada.
Granada will become the eighth city to crown the overall winner, after Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Miranda de Ebro, Salamanca, Jerez de la Frontera and Santiago de Compostela.
The 2026 finale will be a picturesque climb to the Alhambra, a majestic palace and fortress overlooking the city.
Since 1986, the race had ended either in Madrid or Santiago de Compostela. In 2025, it was Madrid, though Stage 21 did not have a winner due to complications from pro-Palestine protesting.
The 21 days of racing at this year’s La Vuelta will cover 3,275 kilometers and include six mountain stages, four hilly days, four medium mountain stages, four flat rides, two individual time trials and one hilly, uphill finale – and more than 58,000 meters of elevation gain.
Stage 1 will be the shortest of the year at 9 kilometers, and Stage 2 will be the longest at 215.2 kilometers.
The defending champion at the Vuelta a España is Danish star Jonas Vingegaard, whose participation is unlikely, as he’s still recovering from surgery to the broken collarbone he suffered in Stage 15 of the recent Tour de France 2026.
However, it was announced Monday that another superstar, Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, would be lining up at La Vuelta for the first time since his debut in 2019.
There’s no doubt that Pogačar now is the instant favorite, especially after his ride into the record books last month when he notched his record-tying fifth Tour de France victory.
Now, he’ll be looking to become the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours at least one, a feat Vingegaard accomplished this year at the Giro d’Italia.
Pogačar won the TDF in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026 and won the Giro d’Italia in 2024.
That same season, fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic won a record-equaling fourth Vuelta a España and will be back in 2026 to see if he can become the first five-time champion.
Roglic previously won in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and joined Spain’s Roberto Heras as the only four-time champions (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).
The Vuelta a España first was held in 1935 and has been contested every year since 1955.
Before things get going at the 81st edition of La Vuelta, here’s a look at the entire route map for the 2026 race:
La Vuelta a España 2026 Route Map
How To Watch The Vuelta a España 2026
For Canadian viewers, the Vuelta a España 2026 will be streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
To see the start and estimated finish times for each stage, click here.
Highlights, race replays and breaking news will be available on both platforms.
Stage highlights, replays and more breaking news, including recaps and rider interviews, will be on both platforms.
In the United States, the Vuelta a España is scheduled to be broadcast on the NBC Networks and streaming on the NBC Peacock app.
Vuelta a España 2026 Schedule
- Stage 1 – Aug. 22: Monaco to Monaco (9km ITT)
- Stage 2 – Aug. 23: Monaco to Manosque (215.2km)
- Stage 3 – Aug. 24: Gruissan - Aude to Font Romeu (166.7km)
- Stage 4 – Aug. 25: Andorra la Vella to Andorra la Vella (104.9km)
- Stage 5 – Aug. 26: Falset - Costa Daurada to Roquetes - Terres de l'Ebre (171.1km)
- Stage 6 – Aug. 27: Alcossebre to Castelló (176.8km)
- Stage 7 – Aug. 28: Vall d'Alba to Aramón Valdelinares (149.9km)
- Stage 8 – Aug. 29: Puçol to Xeraco (176.4km)
- Stage 9 – Aug. 30: La Vila Joiosa/Villajoyosa to Alto de Aitana - Costa Blanca (187.5km)
- Rest Day – Aug. 31
- Stage 10 – Sept. 1: Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra (184.5km)
- Stage 11 – Sept. 2: Cartagena to Lorca (156.1km)
- Stage 12 – Sept. 3: Vera to Calar Alto (166.5km)
- Stage 13 – Sept. 4: Almuñécar to Loja (193.2km)
- Stage 14 – Sept. 5: Jaén to Sierra de La Pandera (152.7km)
- Stage 15 – Sept. 6: Palma del Río to Córdoba (181.2km)
- Rest Day – Sept. 7
- Stage 16 – Sept. 8: Cortegana to La Rábida - Palos de la Frontera (186km)
- Stage 17 – Sept. 9: Dos Hermanas to Sevilla (189.2km)
- Stage 18 – Sept. 10: El Puerto de Santa María to Jerez de la Frontera (32.5km ITT)
- Stage 19 – Sept. 11: Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas - Estepona (205.1km)
- Stage 20 – Sept. 12: La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil (187km)
- Stage 21 – Sept. 13: Carrefour Granada to Granada (99.4km)
Total kilometers for 2026 is 3,275 kilometers or approximately 2,035 miles.
When Does The Vuelta a España 2026 Start?
The Vuelta a España 2026 starts Aug. 22 and will conclude Sept. 13.
The schedule includes 21 stages and two rest days (Aug. 31 and Sept. 7).
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
How Long Is The Vuelta a España 2026?
The course for the Vuelta a España 2026 will be 3,275 kilometers, or approximately 2,035 miles.
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Vuelta a España?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams of eight riders and up to 184 total competitors in the Vuelta a España.
The 2026 race will feature 23 teams:
- Alpecin - Premier Tech (WT)
- Bahrain - Victorious (WT)
- Burgos Burpellet BH (PRT)
- Cofidis (PRT)
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team (WT)
- EF Education - EasyPost (WT)
- Equipo Kern Pharma (PRT)
- Groupama - FDJ United (WT)
- Lidl - Trek (WT)
- Lotto Intermarché (WT)
- Movistar Team (WT)
- Netcompany INEOS (WT)
- NSN Cycling Team (WT)
- Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (PRT)
- Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (WT
- Soudal Quick-Step (WT)
- Team Jayco AlUla (WT)
- Team Picnic PostNL (WT)
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike (WT)
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team (PRT)
- UAE Team Emirates - XRG (WT)
- Uno-X Mobility (WT)
- XDS Astana Team (WT)
Who Won The Vuelta a España In 2025?
As it turned out, yes, Jonas Vingegaard was the man to beat at the Vuelta a España in 2025.
He won three stages on the way to his first GC title at La Vuelta, which was affected in multiple stages by pro-Palestinian protests. He finished the 21 days of racing 1 minute, 16 seconds ahead of João Almeida, who won two stages of his own.
Despite continued success during his career, Vingegaard also has suffered some pretty serious injuries, including a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country in 2024 that resulted in a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a punctured lung.
He’s now recovering from a crash and broken collarbone during the 2026 Tour de France that likely will see him miss the chance to defend his title at the Vuelta a España.
After winning La Vuelta last summer, Vingegaard was able to continue his strong form at the 2025 Giro d’Italia, where he won the GC crown and became the eighth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours at least once.
Tour de France 2026 Concludes With Emotional Mathieu van de Poel Win In Stage 21
Mathieu van der Poel won Stage 21 of the Tour de France 2026 in a photo finish, edging teammate Jasper Philipsen at the line.
It was MVDP’s second win at this year’s race, and the emotional victory came on the famed Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Why Subscribe To FloBikes?
A FloBikes subscription provides access to the Vuelta a España for Canadian fans, and so much more throughout the year.
In addition to live races, FloBikes subscribers can check out replays, highlights, breaking news, interviews, schedules and other exclusive content.
The calendar includes the Flanders Classics, the UCI World Championships, USA Cycling events and everything from road races to mountain biking to BMX action.
Catch All The Best Races, Highlights, Insight, News And More On FloBikes
FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.
FloBikes Archived Footage
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.