The race begins harmlessly enough with a flat 9km time trial that starts at the Monte Carlo Casino. The climbing already kicks off on stage 2, a hilly 215km route from Monaco to Manosque, France, and gets serious on stage 3, which ends with a category 1 climb followed immediately by a category 2 summit finish at Font Romeu,in the Catalan Pyrenees, the first of seven mountaintop finishes in the race. Stage 4 is even more serious, with three category 1 climbs over its 104km, though it ends with a 3km descent in Andorra la Vella.
There is a second ITT on stage 18, 32km over a few bumps in the road, followed by a medium mountain stage that ends with a category 1 summit finish, all prelude to what will likely be the decisive stage, 187km through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada from La Calahorra in the state of Grenada to the summit finish atop the Hors Category Collado del Alguacil (8.3km @ 9.8%).
There are several other key stages along the way, with stage 9 – 5,000 meters of climbing along 187km from La Villa Joiosa to the summit finish on the category 1 Alta de Aitana – likely to separate to legitimate GC contenders from the also-rans. And stage 14, with its summit finish atop the category 1 Sierra de la Pandera, should be the arena for a thrilling battle for a stage win.
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The final lap will not be the usual triumphal parade, though it begins peacefully enough in a Carrefour shopping center in the Granada suburbs. There are several short steep climbs along the 99km course that includes four circuits and ends with a short, steep ascent to the magnificent Alhambra fortress/palace high above the city of Granada. It will have to be a sprinter of the likes of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who can climb a bit, to take the win here (though no sprinter has yet been announced for the race).
There are also at least six other stages suitable for sprint finishes, though sprinters might be put off from signing up for the race by the amount of climbing and the heat. To win the Škoda Green Jersey, a rider has to finish the race, which will mean getting over the mountains and through the heat.
Yes, the weather is likely to be huge factor in the race, as much of it will be run in the south of the country, which has been subject to heat waves in these climate change times. It would be unfortunate if some of the stages were to be shortened or even canceled due to the heat. According to the UCI High Temperature Protocol, at temperatures above 28°C, start and finish lines could be modified and stages could be neutralized or even cancelled.
That would be an unfortunate setback for the race, especially after the disruptions of this year’s Vuelta due to protests by pro-Palestinian activists. Let’s hope there’ll be some cooling breezes off the Mediterranean for the riders.
So far three top GC riders have announced that they will be riding in next year’s Vuelta: four-time winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), who will definitely not be riding in the Tour de France; João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), who will be going for the Giro-Vuelta double; and the promising 23-year-old American Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), who finished fifth in this year’s Vuelta but is sure to improve with his new team next year.
In addition, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) will be going for the GC in the Vuelta, after supporting new Lidl rider Juan Ayuso in the Tour de France, and Enric Mas (Movistar) will aim for the GC at both the Giro and the Vuelta. They are all in for a long grind.
