Vuelta a España

About this event

The Vuelta a España is one of cycling's three Grand Tours, alongside the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, and is raced over three weeks and twenty-one stages. It was first run in 1935 and moved from its traditional spring slot to late summer in 1995, a change that reshaped its character: sitting last on the Grand Tour calendar, it now serves both as a target for riders who missed out in July and as final preparation for the road world championships. Its signature is severe, short climbs with double-digit gradients rather than long alpine passes — the Angliru, Lagos de Covadonga and Bola del Mundo among them — which produces sharp, decisive stages rather than gradual attrition. The race leader wears the red jersey, adopted in 2010 after decades of gold. Roberto Heras holds the record with four overall wins. The 2026 edition runs from 23 August to 14 September.