Vuelta a España 2024 route
Portuguese start, nine summit finishes, Lagos de Covadonga and finale stage time trial feature in 79th edition
The 2024 Vuelta a España route kicks off for the fifth time in Vuelta’s history with a foreign start on August 17, this time in Lisbon, the capital of neighbouring Portugal, with a short, straightforward individual time trial that will decide the race’s first leader.
Two more hilly stages take the Vuelta back towards the Spanish frontier, with the race marking its return to Spain on stage 4 with a first summit finish on the rugged ascent of Pico de Villuercas, last tackled in 2021 with a win for France's Romain Bardet.
The first major mountain stage will come on much more familiar terrain on stage 9 when the Vuelta tackles two ultra-difficult cat.1 climbs in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range - the Purchil and a double ascent of the Alto de Hazallanas, one of the key climbs of the 2024 Vuelta a España.
Both climbs featured in the hardest day’s racing of the 2022 Vuelta a España, on a stage where Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) launched a searing late attack at the summit in a troubling setback for overall winner Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
Rather than conclude in Sierra Nevada’s ski station like in 2022, the Vuelta will descend back to the city of Granada for its finish, but even so, with so much climbing, stage 9 will likely be the first time the GC contenders come to the fore in the 2024 race.
A long transfer to Spain’s far northwest then follows, and after two rugged treks through the remote, hilly region of Galicia to open up week two of the Vuelta, a long, grinding ascent of the Manzaneda cat.1 climb on stage 13 will likely see the overall favourites back in action.
Stage 14’s much more challenging final climb of Ancares - the scene of a spectacular duel between Alberto Contador and Chris Froome in 2014 and with some notoriously rough road surfaces - will once again test the GC favourites prior to yet another hefty transfer, this time into the heart of the neighbouring Picos de Europa mountain range.
Dario Cataldo is the only previous winner on the ski slopes of Cuitu Neru, the final climb on stage 15, concluding with gradients of 24% and a daunting 19 kilometres long. The Italian allrounder claims that it was “the steepest climb I’ve ever done in my life. At one point, I tried looking upwards to see where the finish was, and it was at such a steep angle, even though the finish was close, I nearly got a crick in my neck.”
After the little-known Cuitu Negru brings down the curtain on the second week, one of the Vuelta’s most classic ascents, the Lagos de Covadonga, opens up the interminable list of summit finishes on stage 16.
Tackled 22 times in the race since it was first used in the mid-1980s and well-known as home to some of the last wolves in western Europe, Covadonga has often decided the Vuelta’s overall classification, as it did in 2021 when Roglič all but wrapped up his third successive GC title.
This time, though, its role could be different, given stage 19 then features a return to the Alto de Moncalvillo, where Roglič and Richard Carapaz almost fought each other to a standstill in the 2020 Vuelta, and stage 20 comprises one of the toughest mountains stages of the entire 2024 route.
Finishing on the slopes of Picon Blanco, an ascent often used in the Vuelta a Burgos, stage 20 will be the last chance for the climbers to impact in the 2024 Vuelta a España, prior to a transfer south to the final time trial in Madrid.
It remains to be seen if the final race against the clock will spark an upset of the scale of the 2002 Vuelta, the last time a final day TT was held in Madrid. That day, Aitor ‘Terminator’ Gonzalez managed to oust climber Roberto Heras from the overall lead on the last day possible.
The final TT will certainly ensure that the 2024 Vuelta a España ends on a very different note to its traditional bunch sprint stage as well.
Stage 1: Lisbon - Oeiras (ITT), 12km
- Intermediate time check - 4.7km to go
Stage 2: Cascais - Ourém, 191km
- Alto do Lagoa (Cat. 4) - 185.7km to go (5.7km avg. 4.6%)
- Intermediate sprint - Alcobaça - 53.8km to go
- Alto da Batalha (Cat. 4) - 19.1km to go (7.1km avg. 3.3%)
Stage 3: Lousã - Castelo Branco, 182km
- Alto de Teixeira (cat. 2) - 107.2km to go (17.5km at 3.2%)
- Intermediate sprint - Fundão, 51.4km to go
- Alto de Alpedrinha (Cat. 4) - 42.6km to go (6.4km avg. 3.4%)
Stage 4: Plasencia - Pico Villuercas, 167km
- Puerto de Cabezabellosa (Cat. 2) - 146.5 km to go (9.2 km avg 5,4%)
- Alto de Piornal Piornal (Cat. 1) - 116.3 km to go (13.9 km avg 5,6%)
- Puerto de Miravete (Cat. 3) - 47 km to go (8km avg 4.5%) *time bonus
- Intermediate sprint Roturas - 15.4km to go
- Meta Pico Villuercas (Cat. 1) - finish (14.6 km avg 6.2%)
Stage 5: Fuente del Maestre - Sevilla, 170km
- Intermediate sprint - La Algaba, 24.6km to go *time bonus
Stage 6: Jerez de la Frontera - Yunquera, 181km
- Puerto del Boyar (Cat. 1), 112.1km to go (14.7 km avg 5.5%)
- Intermediate sprint, 66 km to go * time bonus
- Puerto del Viento (Cat. 3) - 55.2km to go, (6.6 km avg 4.3%)
- Puerto Martinez (Cat. 3) - 22.5km to go (3.5 km avg 6.3%)
- Alto de las Abejas (Cat. 3) - Finish (8.9 km avg 3.9%)
Stage 7: Archidona - Cordoba, 179km
- Intermediate sprint, 39.2km to go
- Alto Del (Cat. 2) - 25.5km to go (7.4 km avg 5.6%, max 14%) * time bonus
Stage 8: Úbeda - Cazorla, 159km
- Puerto Mirador de las Palomas (Cat. 2) - 53.6km to go (7.3 km avg 5.7%)
- Intermediate sprint - 19.2km to go *time bonus
- Meta. Sierra de Cazorla (Cat. 3) - finish (4.8 avg 7.1%)
Stage 9: Motril - Granada, 178km
- Puerto de El Purche (Cat. 1) - 81.3km to go (8.9 km avg. 7.6 %)
- Alto de Hazallanas (Cat. 1) - 54 km to go (7.1 km avg. 9.5%)
- Intermediate sprint - Güejar Sierra 31.6 km to go
- Alto de Hazallanas (Cat. 1) 22.7km to go (7.1 km avg. 9.5%) *time bonus
Stage 10: Ponteareas - Baiona, 160km
- Alto de Fonfria (Cat. 2) - 132.2km to go 654 m (15.4 km avg. 4.2%)
- Alto de Vilachán (Cat. 3) - 55km to go (6.3 avg 5.5%)
- Alto de Mabia (Cat. 2) - 39.8km to go (6 avg. 5.7%)
- Intermediate sprint - 31.1 km to go
- Alto de Mougás (Cat. 1) - 20.3km to go (9.9 km avg. 6%) *time bonus
Stage 11: Campus Tecnológico Cortizo Padron - Campus Tecnológico Cortizo Padron, 164km
- Puerto San Xusto (Cat. 3) - 124km to go (10.2 km avg. 4.2%)
- Puerto Aguasantas (Cat. 2) - 85.2km to go (5.7 km avg. 6.1%)
- Puerto Aguasantas (Cat. 2) - 48.5km to go (5.7 km avg. 6.1%)
- Intermediate sprint O Sisto - 32.5km to go *time bonus
- Puerto Cruxeiras (Cat. 3) - 7.9km to go (2.9 km avg. 8.9%)
Stage 12: Ourense Termal - Estacion de Montana de Manzaneda, 137km
- Intermediate sprint - Sas Penelas, 36.3km to go *time bonus
- Meta. Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda (Cat. 1) - Finish (15.4 km avg. 4.7%)
Stage 13: Lugo - Puerto de Ancares, 171km
- Alto Campo de Arbre (Cat. 3) - 141.7km to go (5 km avg, 5.8%)
- PM Alto O Portel (Cat. 2) - 100.4km to go (7.7 km avg. 5.4%)
- Intermediate sprint - Sésamo 28.6km to go
- Puerto de Lumeras (Cat. 2) - 20km to go (6.6 km avg 6%) *time bonus
- Meta. Puerto de Ancares (Cat. 1) - Finish (7.5 km avg. 9.3%)
Stage 14: Villafranco del Bierzo - Villablino, 199km
- Puerto de Cerredo (Cat. 3) - 97.9km to go (7km avg. 4.6%)
- Intermediate sprint - Cangas de Narcea, 49.9km to go *time bonus
- Puerto de Leitariegos (Cat. 1) 16.4km to go (22.8 km avg. 4.5%)
Stage 15: Infiesto - Valgrande-Pajares Cuitu Negru, 142km
- Alto de la Colladiella (Cat. 1) - 105.3km to go (6.4 km avg. 8.2%)
- Alto de Santo Emiliano (Cat. 3) - 78km to go (5.6 km avg. 4.9%)
- PM Colladiella (Cat. 1) - 55.3km to go (6.4 km avg. 8.2%) *time bonus
- Intermediate sprint - Pola de Lena - 32.1 km to go
- Meta. Cuitu Negru (HC) Finsih (18.9 km avg. 7.4%)
Stage 16: Luanco - Lagos de Covadonga, 181km
- Mirador del Fito (Cat. 1) - 104.2km to go (7.1 km avg. 7.9%)
- Collada Llamena (Cat. 1) - 56.3km to go (7.6km avg. 9.3%)
- Intermediate sprint - Cangas de Onís - 22 km to go
- Meta. Lagos de Covadonga (HC) Finish (12.5km avg. 6.9%)
Stage 17: Arnuero - Santander, 143km
- Alto de La Estranguada (Cat. 2) - 86.7km to go (5.5 km avg. 8.7%)
- Alto del Caracol (Cat. 2) 71.1km to go (7.2km avg. 8.7%)
- Intermediate sprint - Arce, 23.8 km to go *time bonus
Stage 18: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Maestu-Parque Natural de Izki, 175km
- PM Alto de Rivas de Tesero (Cat. 2) - 97.8km to go (11.1 km avg 3.4%)
- Puerto Herrera (Cat. 1) - 45km to go (5.6km avg 8.3%)
- Intermediate sprint - Villafría. 21.8 km to go
Stage 19: Logroño - Alto de Moncalvillo, 168km
- Puerto de Pradilla (Cat. 3) - 78.9km to go (5.2 km avg. 4.8%) *time bonus
- Intermediate sprint - Ventosa, 14.2 km to go
- Alto de Moncalvillo (Cat. 1) - Finish (8.6 avg. 8.9% )
Stage 20: Villarcayo - Picón Blanco, 188km
- ÂLas Estacas de Trueba (Cat. 3) 137.8km to go (9.2 km avg. 3,1 %)
- Puerto de La Braguía (Cat. 3) - 117km to go (5.8 km avg. 5.9%)
- Alto del Caracol (Cat. 2)- 98km to go (8 km avg. 5,4%)
- Portillo de Lunada (Cat. 1) - 79km to go (14 km avg. 6.1%)
- Portillo de la Sia (Cat. 2) 60.6km to go (7.2 km avg. 6.1%)
- Puerto de Los tornos (Cat. 1) - 25.6km to go (11.3km avg. 6%) * time bonus
- Intermediate sprint - Espinosa de los Monteros - 9 km to go
- PM Picón Blanco (Cat. 1) Finish (7.9 avg. 9.1%)
Stage 21: Madrid - Madrid (ITT), 22km
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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.
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