After last year’s finale in Santiago de Compostela, the Vuelta returns to the traditional location for its final flourish: Madrid.
Despite all the mountains the organisers put in their path, a handful of sprinters always make it to the Spanish capital for a short stage that starts in festive mode and concludes in a frenzy after 12 laps of a short circuit in the heart of the city. As has recently been the case with the Tour de France’s finale on the Champs-Élysées, this stage will take place in the early evening, which adds to the atmosphere and brings out bigger crowds as the heat of the day will have passed.
José Luis Arrieta (Movistar DS):
"The stage when the fiesta can start. The circuit will highlight all of Madrid’s great sights. I’d be very surprised if it finished in anything other than a bunch sprint. Hopefully our party will have a special edge as we’ll be riding in with the red jersey."
The text in this preview originally appeared in the September edition of Procycling magazine.
-
'All my fractures are healing pretty well' - Alexis Magner signs with EF Education-Oatly after devastating crash in July
31-year-old gets extra motivation to recover from collapsed lung, multiple fractures -
Best cycling shorts 2025: Our favorite shorts in every category, for every budget
The best cycling shorts for summer, winter and adventure riding, tested and reviewed -
Juan Ayuso, Julian Alaphilippe and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot lead Spain and France teams for Rwanda World Championships
Monument and Grand Tour stage winners added to start lists for elite races -
'The UCI sets the rules' - Vuelta a España organiser describe protests as 'unacceptable' but insists they could not expel the Israel-Premier Tech team
UCI condemns Spanish government for "exploitation of sport for political purposes"
