Where: Andalusia, Spain
The Vuelta a Andalucia, more commonly known as the Ruta del Sol, often features a start list packed with Grand Tour talent looking to get some early-season kilometres in their legs.
It was first held in 1925 and gained 2.1 status in 2005. Valverde tops the winners board, with 5 wins. Spain dominate the race proceedings, having taken 37 wins over the history of the race.
The Ruta del Sol sets off with a race featuring more than 3,700 metres, while the Queen Stage is played out on Friday. Running from Jaén to Úbeda, the 175 kilometres race takes in four climbs. An ITT with a few uphill kicks on the last day of action decides on the winner.
Jakob Fuglsang won the 2019 edition of the Ruta del Sol ahead of Ion Izagirre and Steven Kruijswijk. The 2020 edition is likely to see Fuglsang return, alongside other contenders such as Valverde, Landa and Latour.
Stages:
| 1 | we 19-2 | Alhaurín de la Torre – Grazalema | 173.9 | mountains | Row 0 - Cell 5 | Row 0 - Cell 6 | Row 0 - Cell 7 |
| 2 | th 20-2 | Sevilla – Iznájar | 198.7 | hills | Row 1 - Cell 5 | Row 1 - Cell 6 | Row 1 - Cell 7 |
| 3 | fri 21-2 | Jaén – Úbeda | 175 | mountains | Row 2 - Cell 5 | Row 2 - Cell 6 | Row 2 - Cell 7 |
| 4 | sa 22-2 | Villanueva Mesía – Granada | 126 | mountains | Row 3 - Cell 5 | Row 3 - Cell 6 | Row 3 - Cell 7 |
| 5 | su 23-2 | Mijas – Mijas | 13 | ITT |
Key Info: Start List | TV Guide
Previous editions: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
External links: Official website (es) | Official twitter feed (es)
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Spanish stage race reduced to single 5km time trial due to farmer protests
The five-day Ruta del Sol was won by Maxim van Gils on Friday, beating Juan Ayuso
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Ineos Grenadiers' Magnus Sheffield takes first professional victory with stage three win at Ruta del Sol
The 19-year-old secured his first pro win in just his ninth start for Ineos Grenadiers
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Alessandro Covi wins stage two of Ruta del Sol with late attack
The UAE Team Emirates rider left the rest of the bunch behind on a cobbled finish in Andalucia.
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Rune Herregodts secures surprise breakaway victory at the Ruta del Sol 2022
The Belgian held off the breakaway to move into the overall lead of the Andalucian stage race
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Ethan Hayter takes final stage of Ruta del Sol 2021, as Miguel Ángel López wins overall
The Brit took another victory from climber’s sprint finish as two riders went down next to him
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Riders delay start of Ruta del Sol stage to protest ‘lack of attention’ given to their safety
The professional rider union said the peloton is concerns about the choice of routes, gravel descents, and large potholes
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Miguel Ángel López hits back to take race lead on stage three of Ruta del Sol 2021
The Colombian took the race lead from Ethan Hayter on the uphill finish to Villarrodrigo
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Chris Froome: 'When the facts are out people will see things from my point of view'
Chris Froome has said that he believes that when all the facts about his salbutamol case are made public, people will see the case from his point of view.
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Mikel Landa to go head-to-head with Chris Froome at Ruta del Sol on Movistar debut
Mikel Landa will have his first chance to go head-to-head with Chris Froome in 2018 after the Spaniard was named in Movistar's team for the Ruta del Sol.
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Alberto Contador takes overall lead after Ruta del Sol stage 1b time trial
- Pim Ligthart wins sprint on stage 1a - Javier Moreno fastest on 8.2km time trial stage 1b Photos by Graham Watson
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Caja-Rural's Gonzalo Serrano denies the favourites on stage two of Ruta del Sol 2020
Victory on day two of the Ruta del Sol went Gonazalo Serrano, who denied the favourites in the tough final climb.
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Nacer Bouhanni wins stage two at the Ruta del Sol; Ben Swift finishes third
Nacer Bouhanni outsprints Fabio Felline and Ben Swift to take stage two at the Ruta del Sol and assumes overall lead of the race
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Wout Poels takes victory on Ruta del Sol stage two summit finish; Chris Froome seventh
Wout Poels (Team Sky) won the second stage of the Ruta del Sol, taking victory on the race's one major summit finish to move into the race lead.
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Ruta del Sol 2020 start list
Provisional list of riders and teams taking part in the 2020 Ruta del Sol in Spain, from February 19-23
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Chris Froome wins Ruta del Sol stage four and takes overall lead
-Froome beats Alberto Contador into second on the summit finish of stage four -Sky rider takes over GC lead by two seconds Photos Graham Watson
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J-J Lobato wins Ruta del Sol stage two, as Froome moves to third in GC
-Spaniard surprises John Degenkolb in the final stretch to claim the stage -Froome moves to third in GC as Contador retains red jersey Photos by Graham Watson
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Thomas Boudat wins stage one of Ruta del Sol in photo finish as Chris Froome returns to action
Thomas Boudat (Direct-Energie) won the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol as he out-sprinted Sacha Modolo in a tight photo finish in Mijas.
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Tim Wellens extends lead at Ruta del Sol 2019 with stage three time trial win
The Belgian beat second place Jakob Fuglsang by two seconds
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'This has to stop!' - Riders slam drafting behind motorbikes in races
Riders have take to Twitter to voice their anger over motorbikes offering a draft to riders in the Ruta del Sol, Volta ao Algarve and Tour of Oman this week.
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Inside the Ruta del Sol
Take an inside look at the early season Spanish race as riders and teams prepare for a stage on the Ruta del Sol. Photos by Chris Catchpole
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Dylan Teuns wins stage five time trial as Jakob Fuglsang wraps up Ruta del Sol overall victory
The Dane finished second to Teuns by less than a second on his way to sealing the overall win
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Chris Froome wins Ruta del Sol 2015 as J-J Lobato takes final stage
-Froome seals victory after finishing in the main bunch on Sunday's final stage -Juan José Lobato takes his second stage win of the race Photos by Graham Watson
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Contador wins Ruta del Sol stage three and extends overall lead
-Spaniard broke away to win on the summit finish of Alto de Hazallanas -Froome finishes 19 seconds back after reacting late to Contador attack Pictures by Graham Watson
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Tim Wellens wins Ruta del Sol stage five from breakaway as Valverde seals GC
Valverde stayed safe and finished with the same time as his nearest rival in the overall, Alberto Contador
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Matteo Trentin wins stage five of Ruta del Sol as Jakob Fugslang confirms GC triumph
Mitchelton-Scott's Matteo Trentin comfortably won an uphill sprint on stage five of Ruta del Sol as Jakob Fugslang sealed his overall win.
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Ben Swift takes Ruta del Sol overall lead as Oscar Gatto wins third stage
Team Sky's Ben Swift takes the overall lead at the Ruta del Sol after finishing second behind Oscar Gatto on stage three of the race
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Tim Wellens wins Ruta del Sol stage four and takes race lead from Wout Poels
Belgian Tim Wellens puts himself in a strong position in the general classification of the 2018 Ruta del Sol with just the final time trial to go
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Team Sky announce that Chris Froome will start his 2018 season at Ruta del Sol next week
Chris Froome will start his 2018 season at the Ruta del Sol while lawyers and medical experts continue to work on the ongoing salbutamol case.
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Chris Froome ready to 'empty the tank' in Ruta del Sol final time trial
Team Sky's Chris Froome says that the overall win in the Ruta del Sol is out of his reach, but he'll be supporting team-mate Wout Poels and put in an effort on the final stage time trial
