Vuelta a España

Primož Roglič and Alejandro Valverde on stage 15 of the Vuelta a España 2019 (Luis Angel Gomez/Getty)

When: October 20 – November 8 2020
Where: Spain
UCI category: WorldTour

Key links: Route | Start list | TV Guide

The Vuelta a España is the third and final Grand Tour of the season, and the Spanish race always provides an exciting finale to the year for GC specialists.

Renowned for its testing parcours and plethora of summit finishes, the Vuelta represents an immense challenge and several riders have tried and failed to win it in the same season as another Grand Tour.

The 2020 route is a bit different to recent years as the race has been shortened from 21 stages to 18 stages due to restrictions made in the global pandemic.

The race itself will still be exciting but will be slim pickings for sprinters with only four days for them and eight summit finishes including stage one, along with one individual time-trial.

The race will start in the Basque Country town of Irun and finishing at the top of the famous Arrate climb above Eibar.

Other notable stages include summit finishes up the Col du Tourmalet in France, Alto de l’Angliru and the Alto de la Covatilla and a 33.5km time trial, which of course, also finishes up a sharp climb.

Vuelta a España: 2020 route

Vuelta a España route map 2020

The Vuelta a España 2020 route starts in the Basque Country with a typically difficult stage to the famous climb of Arrate above Eibar.

The sprinters will have to wait until stage four for their first chance at a bunch gallop to the line.

Huge mountains await, though with the Arrate and Aramón Formigal in week one and the Spanish beasts that are the Farrapona, Angliru and Covatilla all wait in the second and third weeks.

Even the individual time trial finishes up a steep climb on stage 13 after about 30km of flat beforehand.

Stage Date Start/Finish Distance Profile
1 Tuesday, October 20 Irùn to Arrate-Eibar 172.5km Hilly
2 Wednesday, October 21 Pamplona to Lekunberri 151.6km Hilly
3 Thursday, October 22 Lodosa to La Laguna Negra de Vinuesa 166.1km Mountain
4 Friday, October 23 Garray. Numancia to Ejea de los Caballeros 191.7km Flat
5 Saturday, October 24 Huesca to Sabiñánigo 184.4km Hilly
6 Sunday, October 25 Biescas to Aramón Formigal 146.4km Mountain
Rest Day Monday, October 26 Vitoria —
7 Tuesday, October 27 Vitoria Gasteiz to Villanueva de Valdegovia 159.7km Hilly
8 Wednesday, October 28 Logroño to Alto de Moncalvillo 164km Mountain
9 Thursday, October 29 Castrillo del Val to Aguilar de Campoo 157.7km Flat
10 Friday, October 30 Castro Urdiales to Suances 185km Flat
11 Saturday, October 31 Villaviciosa to Alto de la Farrapona 170km Mountain
12 Sunday, November 1 La Pola Llaviana to Alto de l’Angliru 109.4km Mountain
Rest day Monday, November 2 A Caruña
13 Tuesday, November 3 Muros to Mirador de Ézaro Dumbría 33.7km (ITT) Time trial
14 Wednesday, November 4 Lugo to Ourense 204.7km Flat
15 Thursday, November 5 Mos to Puebla De Sanabria 230.8km Hilly
16 Friday, November 6 Salamanca to Ciudad Rodrigo 162km Hilly
17 Saturday, November 7 Sequeros to Alto de la Covatilla 178.2km Mountain
18 Sunday, November 8 Hipódromo de la Zarzuela to Madrid 124.2km Flat

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) Jumbo-Visma