The Vuelta a España has ripped up the script with its 2026 route – and I love it, even if it could be too hot

You might have noticed something missing from the Vuelta a España route presentation on Wednesday. A few things, actually.

As the course unravelled on the big screen, the stage lines made their way from Monaco, down Spain’s east coast, and into the country’s south – where they stayed. There will be no Madrid finish, it was announced, and no stages in the north.

I wasn’t in Madrid for the presentation, although I imagine there were a lot of perplexed faces in the room. What about the Angliru? Lagos de Covadonga? These climbs have become staples of the Vuelta over the years, and now the mountains of Asturias have been snubbed altogether? Surely something’s up.

Something is, indeed, up: innovation. 2026 will mark the first time in five years the race has finished outside of Madrid, opting instead for Granada. Even more momentously, it will be the first edition in 17 years in which the peloton hasn’t visited the country’s verdant north. Seventeen years. When that happened in 2009, the race’s latest champion, Jonas Vingegaard, was barely 11 years old.

So why do I think this is a good thing? I should probably start by declaring a bias.

When I was studying Spanish at university, I spent six months living in Andalucía, Spain’s southernmost region. In my view, the region is the country’s cultural heart; it’s home to flamenco, Moorish heritage, and so much sun you only ever eat al fresco, mostly beside a beach.

Granada, where next year’s Vuelta will finish, is perhaps Spain’s most stunning city. The Alhambra fortress that dominates the skyline is touted as the eighth wonder of the world. The local beer is also excellent.

Still, you didn’t come here to hear me canvass for the tourist board. What I like about the Vuelta route is the organisers’ brave decision to do something different, ditch the tried and tested mountains of the north, and head south.

In recent editions, they’ve been quick to palm off Andalucía. Since 2009, the last time the north was snubbed, Spain’s south has been absent from the route five times (2012, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2025). In fact, three of those five editions didn’t even venture below Madrid. It’s time the south got some love again.

Does this mean that there won’t be any of those gruelling climbs we’ve come to love watching at the Vuelta? Don’t fret: the organisers have still plotted seven major summit finishes. They've also thrown in a hilly final-day circuit in Granada to keep the fun going right until the end. That stage starts at an enormous, out-of-town Carrefour supermarket – what more could you want?

I’ll admit, I do have one concern about this Vuelta route. Being so far south, Andalucía is Spain’s hottest region – you can get a ferry to Morocco in around an hour. In cities like Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, all of which the Vuelta will visit, temperatures can reach 40°C in September.

It’s why I, a Brit accustomed to grey skies and single digits on the thermometer, timed my stay in Andalucía to end before the summer. I’m sure the teams at the Vuelta will be better prepared – they’re in for a scenic, trend-bucking route.