Vuelta a Espana

When: August 17 - September 11 2022
Stages: 21
Start: Utrecht (Netherlands)
Finish: Madrid
UCI category: WorldTour
Distance: N/A

Key links: Route | Start list | How to watch |Standings

Last of the trio of races known as the Grand Tours, the Vuelta a España takes place, funnily enough, in Spain with multiple huge names coming to the race looking for success.

The Vuelta's party piece is that it is constantly exciting with hardly any pan-flat sprint days, there is always a rogue 20 per cent gradient spike at the end of a very flat day to just bring a cacophony of action at the end of a long day in late summer.

Not to mention the massive and brutal mountains of the Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, Asturias, Basque Country and more in the unforgiving late August and early September sun.

The route is set to be announced on Thursday, December 16 in the Palacio Municipal – IFEMA Madrid with the opening stages known to be taking place in the Netherlands, starting in Utrecht. 

This start to the race was meant to happen in 2020 but due to the Covid-19 pandemic the race had to cut those stages out and hold just 18 days of racing instead.

The finish changes location to the time trial finale into Santiago de Compostela this year. The race makes it's way back to the usual finish in the capital city of Spain, Madrid. This is usually a sprint stage but a time trial would not be too surprising either.

Primož Roglič of Jumbo-Visma has won the race three year's in a row after disappointment at the 2019 Giro d'Italia and the 2020/2021 Tours de France. 

Vuelta a España 2021 route

The route has not yet been announced. The below table will be filled on Thursday, December 16, 2021.

Vuelta a España: past winners

2000: Roberto Herasdagger (Esp) Kelme–Costa Blanca
2001: Ángel Casero (Esp) Festina
2002: Aitor González (Esp) Kelme–Costa Blanca
2003: Roberto Heras (Esp) U.S. Postal Service
2004: Roberto Heras (Esp) Liberty Seguros
2005: Roberto Heras (Esp) Liberty Seguros–Würth
2006: Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana
2007: Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
2008: Alberto Contador (Esp) Astana
2009: Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne
2010: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas–Doimo
2011: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2012: Alberto Contador (Esp) Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank
2013: Chris Horner (USA) RadioShack–Leopard
2014: Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff–Saxo
2015: Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana
2016: Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
2017: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2018: Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton–Scott
2019: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
2020: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
2021: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma