La Vuelta España 2025: Guide to the Route, Stages, and TV coverage

The final Grand Tour of the 2025 season is approaching, with the Vuelta a España taking place from 23 August to 14 September. The three-week Spanish race covers 21 stages across four countries and features a significant number of uphill and mountain stages. There are also two time trials, and in our race guide, we cover the route, favourites, Canyon riders to watch, and how to follow the race from anywhere.   

• Total distance: 3,151 kilometres  
• Total number of stages: 21  
• Rest days: 2  
• Medium mountain stages: 6 
• High mountain stages: 5  
• Hilly stages with high-altitude finales: 3  
• Flat stages: 4  
• Individual time trials: 1 
• Team time trials: 1

Earlier this year - from May 4 to 10, 2025 - the women’s peloton battled through the seven stages of La Vuelta Femenina. Now, we’re off to Italy for the start of the 2025 Vuelta a España, with the race organisers continuing to bring the race to new shores and audiences. This year, the race kicks off with three stages in Piemonte, Italy. It’s far from an easy start, however, with one flat stage for the sprinters, followed by a tough uphill finish in Puerto Limone, and then an equally demanding stage in the medium mountains with a finish in Ceres.  

Like the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta a España consists of 21 stages. There are two rest days for the riders to recover, but the race, which runs from 23 August to 14 September, is one of the most demanding events on the entire calendar. There are only a few stages for the sprinters, two gruelling time trials - one individual and one team time trial - and 10 stages that are classified as either uphill or summit finishes.  

For the sixth time in the race’s history, the Vuelta a España starts on foreign soil, with Piemonte, Italy, the host for the first three stages. The race then dips immediately into the French Alps, while there’s also a visit to Andorra, along with the bulk of stages in mainland Spain. Running from August 23 to September 14, the final Grand Tour of the season is destined to be fought out by some of the best climbers in the world, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on the start line. Defending champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is set to miss the race after starting both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year.  

The first week of the Vuelta a España offers no respite as riders tackle sprint stages, medium mountain routes, summit finishes, and a team time trial - the first time this discipline has appeared in a Grand Tour all season. By the end of the first week, we’ll know who is in contention for the overall classification and which GC riders are still aiming for stage wins.

• Stage 1 - Saturday 23 August: A sprint stage between Torino and Reggia di Venaria - Novara (200km)  
• Stage 2 - Sunday 24 August: A tough medium mountain stage between Alba and Puerto Limone (157km)  
• Stage 3 - Monday 25 August: Another mountain stage, this time between San Maurizio Canavese and Ceres (139km)  
• Stage 4 - Tuesday 26 August: A difficult start, but the stage between Susa and Voiron should end in a reduced bunch sprint(192km)  
• Stage 5 - Wednesday 27 August: The return of the TTT. This time it’s a stage around Figueres (20km)  
• Stage 6 - Thursday 28 August: The hardest stage of the race so far, with a summit finish at Pal (170km)  
• Stage 7 - Friday 29 August: Back-to-back mountain stages, this time with a summit finish from Andorra la Vella to Cerler. Huesca La Magia (187km)  
• Stage 8 - Saturday 30 August: A rare chance for the pure sprinters with a flat stage between Monzón Templario and Zaragoza (187km)  
• Stage 9 - Sunday 31 August: An undulating start to the stage before a 9.4km climb to the finish on a stage between Alfaro and Estación de Esquí de Valdezcaray (195km)  

• Stage 10 - Tuesday 2 September: Following the first rest day, the racing re-starts with another tough finish between Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva and El Ferial Larra Belagua (168km)  
• Stage 11 - Wednesday 3 September: It’s up and down all day, but this Bilbao start and finish should be decided by a breakaway (167km)  
• Stage 12 - Thursday 4 September: There are two major climbs on the road between Laredo and Los Corrales de Buelna (143km)  
• Stage 13 - Friday 5 September: The stage between Cabezón de la Sal and the brutally tough L'Angliru climb is arguably the hardest of the entire race (202km)  
• Stage 14 - Saturday 6 September: The riders face another mammoth summit finish on the road from Avilés to the Alto de la Farrapona (135km)  
• Stage 15 - Sunday 7 September: The stage from A Veiga/Vegadeo to Monforte de Lemos has a really hard start, and suits a breakaway (167km)  

• Stage 16 - Tuesday 9 September: Following the final rest day, the riders are back in the saddle for a medium mountain stage between Poio and Mos.Castro de Herville (177km)  
• Stage 17 - Wednesday 10 September: It’s the penultimate mountain stage of the Vuelta with a gruelling slog from O Barco de Valdeorras to Alto de El Morredero(137km)  
• Stage 18 - Thursday 11 September: A flat 26km individual time trial around Valladolid (26km)  
• Stage 19 - Friday 12 September: The sprinters return with a pan-flat stage between Rueda and Guijuelo (159km)  
• Stage 20 - Saturday 13 September: The Vuelta will be won and lost on this epic day in the mountains from Robledo de Chavela to Bola del Mundo. Puerto de Navacerrada (156km)  
• Stage 21 - Sunday 14 September: The 2025 Vuelta concludes with a sprint stage into Madrid (101km)

The full startlist hasn’t been announced yet, but the final Grand Tour of the season will be stacked with talent. Although Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar are set to skip the race, there will be plenty of headline names with Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida, Richard Carapaz, Jai Hindley and Derek Gee among the contenders expected to line up.  

The pool of sprinters could be fairly shallow given the lack of pure sprint stages on the route, but Mads Pedersen is down to start.  

There are plenty of opportunists, such as Tom Pidcock, Filippo Ganna, Eddie Dunbar and Mikel Landa.  

Movistar Team will centre their efforts around GC rider Enric Mas, with the Spanish veteran aiming for yet another podium in Madrid. He’ll be backed by a strong contingent of climbers and stage hunters as the home-based team tackles their Grand Tour on their Canyon Aeroad CFR and Canyon Speedmax bikes.  

Alpecin-Deceuninck have not announced their roster yet, but Mathieu van der Poel isn’t scheduled to ride. Jasper Philipsen could lead the line in the sprints if he has recovered from his Tour de France crash in time.

The best way to experience the Vuelta in 2025 is at the actual race. But if you don’t have enough frequent flier miles to get you to Europe, then watching it on television is the next best thing. The following broadcasters will be showing the road cycling spectacle from start to finish.

• Discovery+, TNT (UK and Ireland)   
• Eurosport (Europe)   
• USA Flobikes; Peacock on streaming (USA)   
• SBS (Australia)   
• RTVE (Spain) 
• Sky Sports (New Zealand)  

Cheer for Canyon’s athletes as they chase glory at the 2025 Vuelta a España – and let’s look forward to a race full of passion, grit, and unforgettable moments.