Wk 1
Monaco to the Costa Blanca
Stages 1–9 · August 22–30
S1
Sat, Aug 22 · 16:17 CESTOpening time trial through the streets of MonacoTime Trial
S2
Sun, Aug 23Monaco → Manosque, France — through the French Alps, uphill finish suited to strong sprinters
S3
Mon, Aug 24Gruissan (Aude) → Font-Romeu ski resort, French Pyrenees — mostly flat before the Col de Mont-Louis climbMountain
S4
Tue, Aug 25Loop from Andorra la Vella over Port d'Envalira, Collada de Beixalís, Col d'Ordino, and La Comella, finishing back in AndorraMountain
S5
Wed, Aug 26Falset (Costa Daurada) → Roquetes (Terres de l'Ebre)
S6
Thu, Aug 27Alcossebre → Castellón de la Plana — includes an unpaved gravel sectionGravel
S7
Fri, Aug 28Vall d'Alba → Aramón Valdelinares — roughly 3,500 meters of total climbingMountain
S8
Sat, Aug 29Puçol (Valencia) → Xeraco (Coast of Valencia) — the flattest stage of the race, tailor-made for sprintersFlat
S9
Sun, Aug 30La Vila Joiosa (Costa Blanca) → Alto de Aitana — the week's queen stage, with roughly 5,000 meters of climbingMountain
Rest Day — Monday, August 31
Wk 2
Back to the Grind
Stages 10–15 · September 1–6
S10
Tue, Sep 1Alcaraz (Castile-La Mancha) → Elche de la Sierra (Albacete)
S11
Wed, Sep 2Cartagena → Lorca — a flatline stageFlat
S12
Thu, Sep 3Vera (Almería) → Calar Alto Observatory (Almería) — mountain stageMountain
S13
Fri, Sep 4Almuñécar (Granada) → Loja (Granada) — rugged mountain stageMountain
S14
Sat, Sep 5Jaén → Sierra de La PanderaMountain
S15
Sun, Sep 6Palma del Río → Córdoba
Rest Day — Monday, September 7
Wk 3
The Final Push to Granada
Stages 16–21 · September 8–13
S16
Tue, Sep 8Cortegana → La Rábida, Palos de la Frontera (Huelva)
S17
Wed, Sep 9Dos Hermanas (Seville) → Seville
S18
Thu, Sep 10El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz) → Jerez de la Frontera — the second and final individual time trial of the raceTime Trial
S19
Fri, Sep 11Vélez-Málaga → Alto de Peñas Blancas, Estepona — roughly 4,000 meters of climbingMountain
S20
Sat, Sep 12La Calahorra (Granada) → Collada de Alguacil, Sierra Nevada — the last mountain showdownMountain
S21
Sun, Sep 13Final stage — starts and finishes in Granada
Data
By the Numbers
The stages that will decide the race
Biggest climbing days
Stage 9 — Alto de Aitana~5,000 m
Stage 19 — Alto de Peñas Blancas~4,000 m
Stage 7 — Aramón Valdelinares~3,500 m
Longest stages by distance
Stage 9 — La Vila Joiosa to Alto de Aitana187.4 km
Stage 15 — Palma del Río to Córdobaup to 189.7 km
Stage 10 — Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra184.4 km
Stage 8 — Puçol to Xeraco171 km
Stage 7 — Vall d'Alba to Aramón Valdelinares149.9 km
With two time trials, five-plus true mountain stages, a gravel sector, and a Sierra Nevada summit finish before the ceremonial ride into Granada, this year's Vuelta a España has no shortage of terrain to shake up the general classification.