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Fri 14 Jun 2024

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Vuelta a Espana 2022 route map: Stages list, full tour schedule, and where the race starts and ends today

The 3,280 kilometre route starts in the netherlands before returning to spain for some crunch summit finishes and gruelling sprints.

Starting in the Dutch city of Utrecht with a team time trial on Friday 19 August and ending in Madrid on Sunday 11 September, the 77th edition of the Vuelta a Espana covers a total distance of 3,280 kilometres and suits a wide range of riders.

Six flat stages – including two in the Netherlands – will play into the hands of the sprinters, while seven summit finishes will cater for the mountain goats.

But an absence of the race’s trademark double-digit gradients and only one climb venturing above 2,000m makes this an atypical course for the third and final Grand Tour of the season.

What’s more, an entirely flat 31km time trial at the start of the second week will be music to the ears of specialist Remco Evenepoel and three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic , back from injury and vying for an historic fourth consecutive red jersey.

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After three days in the Netherlands for the Dutch “gran salida” that was supposed to happen during the Covid-ravaged 2020 season, the first summit showdown comes in Stage 6 with the race’s inaugural ascent of the Pico Jano climb in the Basque region.

Back-to-back summit finishes in the Asturias mountains on the second weekend of the race will set a clear hierarchy ahead of the time trial.

Once in southern Spain after the second rest day, the race returns to the Sierra de La Pandera for the first time in five years in stage 14 before a “queen stage” that culminates with a 21km slog up the Alto Hoya de la Mora in Sierra Nevada. At 2,512m, this is the highest climb of the race and should play host to some serious damage in the battle for red.

The climax of the Vuelta will play out west of Madrid with back-to-back stages featuring dual climbs of the Puerto del Pielago and Puerto de Navacerrada ahead of the final sprint showdown in the capital city.

While the legendary climbs of the Angliru, Lagos de Covadonga, Covatilla and Los Machucos do not feature, this is a balanced and intriguing route which should encourage some attacking racing and perhaps the tightest battle for supremacy of this year’s Grand Tours.

How to watch Vuelta a España 2022 Each and every stage of La Vuelta will be shown in its entirety on Eurosport , Discovery+ and GCN+ . A one-hour highlights show will be broadcast on Quest at 7pm everyday.

La Vuelta 2022 stage guide

• Stage 1 – 19 August – Utrecht to Utrecht – 23.2km – Team Time Trial
• Stage 2 – 20 August – ‘s-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht – 175.1km – Flat
• Stage 3 – 21 August – Breda to Breda – 193.5km – Flat
• Rest Day – 22 August
• Stage 4 – 23 August – Votoria-Gasteiz to Laguardia – 152.5km – Medium mountains
• Stage 5 – 24 August – Irun to Bilbao – 187.2km – Medium mountains)
• Stage 6 – 25 August – Bilbao to Pico Jano (San Miguel de Aguayo) – 181.2km – Summit finish
• Stage 7 – 26 August – Camargo to Cistierna – 190km – Medium mountains
• Stage 8 – 27 August – La Pola Llaviana to Collau Fancuaya – 153.4km – Summit finish
• Stage 9 – 28 August – Villaviciosa to Les Praeres – 171.4km – Summit finish
• Rest Day – 29 August
• Stage 10 – 30 August – Elche to Alicante – 30.9km – Individual Team Trial
• Stage 11 – 31 August – ElPozo Alimentacion to Cabo de Gata – 191.2km – Flat
• Stage 12 – 1 September – Salobrena to Penas Blancas – 192.7km – Summit finish
• Stage 13 – 2 September – Ronda to Montilla – 168.4km – Flat
• Stage 14 – 3 September – Montoro to Sierra de La Pandera – 160.3km – Summit finish
• Stage 15 – 4 September – Martos to Alto Hoya de la Mora, Sierra Nevada – 149.6km (Summit finish
• Rest Day – 5 September
• Stage 16 – 6 September – Sanlucar de Barrameda to Tomares – 189.4km – Flat
• Stage 17 – 7 September – Aracena to Monasterio de Tentudia – 162.3km – Uphill finish
• Stage 18 – 8 September – Trujillo to Alto del Piornal – 192km – Summit finish
• Stage 19 – 9 September – Talavera de la Reina to Talavera de la Reina – 138.3km – Medium mountains
• Stage 20 – 10 September – Moralzarzal to Puerto de Navacerrada – 181km – Mountains
• Stage 21 – 11 September – Las Rozas to Madrid – 96.7km – Flat

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Vuelta a España 2022: Preview, schedule and how to watch the key riders in the grand tour cycling race

As Primoz Roglic goes for a remarkable – an unprecedented – fourth consecutive overall victory, here's everything you need to know about this year's edition of the men's Spanish Grand Tour, which starts on 19 August in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The men's road cycling season continues, following the Commonwealth Games and European championships , with the third and last Grand Tour of the 2022 men's season, the 77th Vuelta ciclista a España or Tour of Spain, which runs from 19 August to 11 September 2022 .

Primoz Roglic , Slovenia's three-time defending champion of La Vuelta for Team Jumbo-Visma , and Olympic gold medalist is aiming to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive General Classification crown and become only the second man to win the race four times. To do so, he will need to cover the 3,280-kilometre (2,038 mile) route the quickest, in a race that will feature nine finishes at altitude.

This year's La Vuelta '22 begins with a Grand Depart in the Netherlands , postponed from 2020 after pandemic restrictions forced the cancellation of the Dutch start that year, which forced a reduced 18-stage race. This year's race comprises 21 stages, as it did last year.

La Roja – the leader's red jersey – will be contested between 176 riders from 22 teams each formed of eight men. In addition, the green points jersey, blue-and-white polka dot mountain classification jersey, and the white young riders' jersey are all also up for grabs. Additionally, for the opening three stages, the overall leader will wear a special version of the maillot rojo , which pays tribute to the race's Dutch hosts.

The last five days of the race, from 7 through 11 September, will coincide with the women's Challenge by La Vuelta stage race, although the two will have different routes. La Vuelta is the only men's Grand Tour without a women's counterpart; from 2023 the Challenge by La Vuelta race will officially become "La Vuelta Feminina".

Read on to find out what you need to know about this year's La Vuelta 22.

Vuelta a España 2022 General Classification: favourites to watch

Primoz Roglic : Could he complete the impossible? Never before done, the Slovenian former ski jumper is aiming to become the first man to win La Vuelta four years running. The 32-year-old will lead Jumbo-Visma once more, hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Tour de France which he abandoned after 14 stages. Roglic hasn't raced since then, recovering from a back fracture he suffered during the Tour. Roglic was also the Olympic men's time trial gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 games in 2021.

Richard Carapaz : The Ecuadorian Olympic road race champion lost the 2020 Vuelta to Roglic by just 24 seconds, and is a Grand Tour winner in his own right having won the 2019 Giro d'Italia for Movistar Team. The Ineos Grenadiers rider, who will likely split leadership duties within his team with the 2020 Giro winner Tao Geoghegan Hart , will have massive support from Latin American fans around the roads of Spain.

João Almeida : UAE Team Emirates will count on Portuguese youngster Almeida for La Vuelta, with Tadej Pogacar given a rest. Almeida has experience in the big races, leading the 2020 Giro after Stage 3 through Stage 17 before conceding the lead and eventually finishing fourth. The 2021 Tour de Pologne and Tour de Luxembourg winner will look for his first Grand Tour podium here.

Enric Mas : Mas will be a joint-leader of the home team, Movistar Team, alongside the 42-year-old veteran Alejandro Valverde , who has repeatedly pushed his retirement back but is expected to be contesting his final Vuelta. Mas finished runner-up behind Roglic last year and was also second overall in 2018, and it could finally be time for Mas to make the step up.

Colombian contender Nairo Quintana withdrew on the eve of La Vuelta after being retrospectively disqualified from the 2022 Tour de France following a positive test for tramadol.

Other key riders at La Vuelta 2022

Green jersey (points).

Unlike at the Tour de France, La Vuelta does not have a reputation as a sprinter-friendly stage race. Its numerous mountainous stages and high-elevation finishers tend to discourage pure sprinters from completing all 21 stages. Defending champion Fabio Jakobsen was the first pure sprinter to win the green jersey since John Degenkolb did so in 2014; with the exception of all-rounder Fabio Felline in 2016, the points classification was won by general classification favourites from 2015 to 2020.

Two names to look out for – both from the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team – are world champion Julian Alaphilippe , making his major return from a horror crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the all-round star Remco Evenepoel . Both men have the pedigree to ride over hillier terrain and should, with the help of their teammates, be able to make it to the finish.

From Team DSM, Degenkolb is a previous winner of the jersey, having done so in 2014; Valverde , Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Roglic are the other previous winners taking part in this year's race.

Polka dot jersey (mountains)

With king of the mountains points awarded differently from race to race, La Vuelta's polka dot jersey winners generally do not overlap with general classification favourites – unlike at the Tour, which has seen the overall winner also claim the mountains classification three years running.

The classification at La Vuelta generally encourages breakaway riders who are also good climbers; Australia's Michael Storer is the defending champion but is not entered this year.

Neither is the 2020 winner Guillaume Martin nor 2019 holder Geoffrey Bouchard. The last blue-white polka dot jersey winner who is in this year's race is Thomas De Gendt .

Vuelta a España 2022 key stages

The 2022 Vuelta a España begins in the Netherlands with a team time trial around Utrecht . Team time trials have traditionally been used to start La Vuelta in recent years, and the 2022 edition is no exception.

After two further flat stages reminiscent of some northern Classics, the race returns to Spanish soil and resumes in the Basque Country with the first of 10 stages with uphill finishes.

The race's time in the Basque Country includes a first visit to Pico Jano , which crowns Stage 6; two further mountain-top finishes come at the end of the first week in Asturias on Colláu Fancuaya and Les Praeres .

Individual time-triallists will get their day in the sun, quite literally, along the coast on Stage 10 from Elche to Alicante, before three more mountaintop finishes in the span of four stages, including the race's highest point, Sierra Nevada (2508m altitude) on Stage 15.

The final week sees the procession of high mountains, a hallmark of the Vuelta, continue – the monastery at Tentudía (stage 17) and Alto del Piornal (stage 18) have both never been visited by La Vuelta before. Stage 19 sees the peloton complete two laps of a circuit around the Puerto del Pelago , a tricky 9km climb at 5.9%, before the final racing stage will make those who have survived the previous 19 days of racing go over no fewer than five categorised climbs.

After last year's detour which saw the race end in Santiago de Compostela to celebrate the historic Way of St James, this year La Vuelta 22 returns to the Spanish capital Madrid for the last stage, a celebratory procession of the race and its winner similar to the Champs-Élysées stage of the Tour de France.

Full route of 2022 Vuelta a España

• Stage 1: 19 August, Utrecht to Utrecht (team time trial, 23.3km)
• Stage 2: 20 August, 's-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht (175.1km)
• Stage 3: 21 August, Breda to Breda (193.5km)
• Rest Day 1: 22 August (transfer day)
• Stage 4: 23 August, Vitoria-Gasteiz to Laguardia (152.5km)
• Stage 5: 24 August, Irun to Bilbao (187.2km)
• Stage 6: 25 August, Bilbao to Ascensión al Pico Jano, San Miguel de Aguayo (181.2km)
• Stage 7: 26 August, Camargo to Cistierna (190km)
• Stage 8: 27 August, La Pola Llaviana/Pola de Laviana to Colláu Fancuaya, Yernes y Tameza (153.4km)
• Stage 9: 28 August, Villaviciosa to Les Praeres, Nava (171.4km)
• Rest Day 2: 29 August
• Stage 10: 30 August, Elche to Alicante (time trial, 30.9km)
• Stage 11: 31 August, ElPozo Alimentación, Alhama de Murcia to Cabo de Gata (191.2km)
• Stage 12: 1 September, Salobreña to Peñas Blancas, Estepona (192.7km)
• Stage 13: 2 September, Ronda to Montilla (168.4km)
• Stage 14: 3 September, Montoro to Sierra de la Pandera (160.3km)
• Stage 15: 4 September, Martos to Sierra Nevada, Alto Hoya de la Mora, Monachil (152.6km)
• Rest Day 3: 5 September
• Stage 16: 6 September, Sanlúcar de Barrameda to Tomares (189.4km)
• Stage 17: 7 September, Aracena to Monasterio de Tentudía (162.3km)
• Stage 18: 8 September, Trujillo to Alto de Piornal (192km)
• Stage 19: 9 September, Talavera de la Reina to Talavera de la Reina (138.3km)
• Stage 20: 10 September, Moralzarzal to Puerto de Navacerrada (181km)
• Stage 21, 11 September, Las Rozas to Madrid, Paisaje de la Luz (96.7km)

How to watch the 2022 Vuelta a España

Here is a list of live television broadcasters around the world, many of which also offer digital livestream coverage too.

• Belgium: VRT
• Denmark: TV2
• Europe-wide: Eurosport
• Spain: RTVE
• Brazil: ESPN
• Canada: FloBikes
• Colombia: Caracol
• Latin America and the Caribbean: ESPN
• United States: NBC Sports

Asia-Pacific

• Australia: SBS
• China: Zhibo TV
• Japan: J Sports
• New Zealand: Sky Sport
• South-East Asia: Eurosport

Middle East and Africa

• Middle East and North Africa: BeIN Sports
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Supersport

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2022 Vuelta a España Stage Analysis

With the Vuelta starting next Friday, it’s time to look at the stages. As most of you will know, the Vuelta is totally different to the other grand tours, mainly due to its position in the calendar. The race is very chilled, it doesn’t have the same level of nerves as the Giro and Tour, and the route is distinctly Spanish. This year the race starts in the Netherlands, spending three days before heading to the Basque Country. It then stays in the north for six stages before heading down to the south for eight stages, hopefully the heatwave will be over by that point. The race then finishes with four stages in the centre of Spain.

The race begins with a 23.4km TTT in Utrecht. It’s pan flat and a day that Jumbo-Visma will have marked as a big goal, taking the race lead on home soil would mean a lot. 

The second stage also finishes in Utrecht, and it is likely to be a big sprint, only the wind can stop this from happening. The previous stage will have already created some gaps on GC, which settles the nerves of the bunch and normally means we don’t see the horrible crashes which dog the opening week of the Tour and Giro.

The final stage in the Netherlands will be a worry for the GC riders, it is very exposed to the elements. If the wind plays ball, this will be a crazy stage, but if conditions are calm, it’s a straightforward sprint stage. A rest day follows to allow the peloton to head to Spain.

We are in the Basque Country and that means hills, goodbye the flatlands of northern Europe. The finale will be too hard for the sprinters, but perfect for the puncheurs, especially as the final kilometre averages 8%. As usual in this part of the world, the numbers don’t do the climbs justice, they’re always harder than they seem. The finish isn’t just good for puncheurs, it’s a day where a fast-finishing GC rider could take the win.

This stage finishes in Bilbao and will see amazing crowds on the side of the road. There is a lap circuit at the end of the stage, which features a very demanding little climb. I’m talking about 4.4km at 8.1%, which crests 14km from home. This could be the first stage for the breakaway.

The race leaves the Basque Country and heads for Cantabria and the first mountaintop finish in the race. The climb of Pico Jano is a new one for me, it’s 12.5km at 6.6%, so not the hardest climb in the race, but it’s still an important day for the GC riders. 

A big day for the breakaway as this one is certain to go all the way. There is a big cat 1 climb in the middle of the stage, which is far too hard for the fast men. This could be a chance for someone to take the red jersey.

No offense to stage 6, but this is the first proper mountain finish in the race. Colláu Fancuaya is 10.1km at 7.7%, but it is harder than the numbers suggest. This is a big day in the fight for the red jersey.

Another huge day, with the finish on Alto Les Praeres. This climb was used for the first time back in 2018, when Simon Yates took a brilliant win. The hill is a wall, almost 4km at 13%, perfect for the muro specialists. It’s the final day up north, expect a big GC battle with the rest day to follow.

The second week kicks off with a 31km time trial. It’s a day for the specialists, with much of the route going downhill.

It’s been a while since the sprinters had some fun, so they’ll be delighted to see this one. 

A day spent on the southern coast of the Costa del Sol before the climb of Peñas Blancas. The climb is long and demanding, 19km at 6.3%, which will test the legs of the best climbers. Leo König took an epic win here back in 2013, a huge day for Team NetApp – Endura.

Another crumb for the sprinters to fight over, but they won’t be best pleased when they find out the final 800m averages 5%. 

We are now in Sierra Nevada Mountain range and the climb of Sierra de La Pandera is well known to the race. It’s another long climb, this time around 20km but it does have a flat section in the middle. The final 4km averages around 8.5%, so it’s hard enough to get some gaps between the top climbers.

Another day and another big mountaintop finish. This time it’s the climb of Sierra Nevada, going up to the observatory. The organisers had a request denied to finish even higher up the mountain, so the climb stops just below 2500m above sea level. Miguel Ángel López won here in 2017, it suits those who perform well at altitude. The final rest day follows, so expect everyone to take a swing.

Another day the sprinters will be a little worried about the finish. There are two kickers in the final 15km, the quick men will need to be climbing well if they want to win this one.

Too hard for the sprinters, not hard enough for the GC men, it’s a day for the breakaway. So deep into the race, we’ll have to see who’s got the legs to win this one.

The stage finishes with Alto del Piornal, which is a disappointing 13.2km at 5.5%. The gradient simply isn’t hard enough to cause gaps between the best climbers.

Just 138km in length, the GC position will determine the type of stage we get. The stage is a big lap, which is done twice. It features a climb of 9km at 5.6%, but the length of the stage could see big GC attacks. Hopefully the fight for red is still close, otherwise this is another day for the break.

We’re just to the north of Madrid and the final mountain stages features almost 4000m of climbing. It might lack a huge mountain, but there’s enough here to make a brilliant stage. 

The race ends with the traditional finish in Madrid. 

I like the route; it offers opportunities for all types of riders. On first inspection, the final week disappointed me, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. If the GC battle is still close, both stages 19 and 20 offer “ambush” opportunities. With doubts surrounding the participation of Roglič, it opens the door to the other GC riders. Simon Yates is the only previous winner who has a realistic chance of winning red, there is a big chance for someone to win the Vuelta for the first time, which will only add to the excitement levels.

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2023 Edition

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Running from 17 August to 8 September 2024, La Vuelta 24 will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3265 kilometers.

• 1 flat stage
• 5 medium mountain stages
• 8 mountain stages
• 2 individual time-trial stages
• 5 hilly stages (2 with high-altitude finales)
• 2 rest days

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What We Learned From the 2022 Vuelta a España

The Tour of Spain saw the emergence of Remco Evenepoel, cycling’s latest superstar.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) held on to win the Tour of Spain, ending his nation’s 44-year grand tour drought.

The 2022 Tour of Spain (known locally as the “Vuelta a España”) wrapped up in Madrid on Sunday with Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) taking the victory. Here’s a quick rundown of what went down during the Vuelta’s final week–and a quick look at what’s to come as the season approaches its final weeks.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) has won the 2022 Tour of Spain. Riding in only the second grand tour of his career, the 22-year-old took the red jersey as the leader of the Vuelta’ General Classification on Stage 5 and defended the jersey all the way to the finish in Madrid, winning two stages along the way. Spaniards Enric Mas (Movistar) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) finished second and third at 2:02 and 4:57, respectively.

What Happened

The Vuelta’s final week began with Stage 16, a tricky stage with a punchy finish in Tomares that proved to be the Vuelta’s most dramatic day. After gaining time on Evenepoel on the previous weekend’s two summit finishes, Slovenia’s Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma)–who entered the day in second-place overall–attacked with a few kilometers left in the stage in a bid to catch Evenepoel by surprise. The move worked: Evenepoel was gapped, but a suspicious flat tire inside the 3km-to-go banner meant he only lost 8 seconds. (Riders are given the same time as the group they would have finished with if they crash or suffer a mechanical with few than 3km left in the race.)

At the front of the race, Roglič crashed while trying to sprint for the stage win (which went to Pedersen) and the time bonuses that came with it. He was able to get back on his bike and finish the stage, but the damage had been done: the Vuelta’s three-time defending champion would not start Stage 17 the next morning, eliminating Evenepoel’s biggest rival.

Stage 17 finished atop a Category 2 climb to the Monasterio de Tentudía. A breakaway filled with strong out-of-contention climbers and all-rounders went the distance, with Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost) taking the win. The savvy veteran now has stage victories in all three grand tours, and with his contract with EF Education-EasyPost set to expire (and Carapaz joining the team in 2023) the win couldn’t have come at a better time for the 35-year-old.

Evenepoel erased any lingering doubts about his chances of defending the red jersey on Stage 18. The Belgian won the stage atop the Alto del Piornal, chasing down the breakaway’s last survivor and outsprinting Mas for the stage victory. Pedersen took his third stage victory of this year’s race the next day, winning Stage 19 in Talavera de la Reina.

Stage 20 brought the Vuelta’s final mountain showdown, with five categorized climbs through the Guadarrama Mountains outside of Madrid. Carapaz won the stage atop the Puerto de Navacerrada, matching Pedersen as the winningest rider in this year’s Vuelta. But it was the battle behind him that garnered most of the attention as Movistar and UAE Team Emirates tried–and failed–to crack Evenepoel.

Stage 21 began with champagne and photo opportunities for the riders wearing the Vuelta’s leader’s jerseys and ended with a field sprint in Madrid won by Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Molano.

But while Molano won the stage, the day’s real winner was Evenepoel, who finished safely in the peloton to take home Belgium’s first grand tour victory since Johan De Muynck won the 1978 Giro d’Italia.

What Did We Learn?

Well, a lot of people are digging into a healthy portion of crow tonight, because it appears as the hype that’s surrounded Evenepoel since he was a junior was clearly justified. Already an accomplished rider when it comes to winning one-day Classics and short stage races, Evenepoel took the next and perhaps most important step in his still-young career, by ending his nation’s 44-year grand tour drought. Heralded as Belgium’s “next Eddy Merckx” since turning professional before his 19th birthday, the kid from the Flemish town of Aalst, delivered.

To be honest, we were among those who doubted Evenepoel’s chances–especially after he lost time to Roglič and Mas on Stages 14 and 15. But he rebounded in the final week, winning Stage 18 on the Alto del Piornal to send a powerful message to those hoping to take the red jersey. And while the task was made much easier thanks to Roglič’s crash and subsequent abandon, it would be unfair to take anything away from Evenepoel and the manner in which he won the Spanish grand tour. In all he and his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team defended the red jersey for 15 stages, an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a rider competing in only the second grand tour of his career and a team that had never won one before.

What’s next is the biggest question: does he continue targeting a diverse program of races, or does he focus exclusively on continuing his development as a grand tour rider? In Belgium he’ll face incredibly pressure to target the Tour de France, which no Belgian has won since 1976, but that might be too tall of an order given the competition he’ll face from the likes of Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) who most would agree occupy a tier above Evenepoel in terms of their grand tour pedigree. (Not to mention the fact that Quick-Step is not a team built for sustained grand tour contention–without a bit of a roster overhaul, it’s hard to see them going toe-for-toe with UAE, Jumbo, and INEOS at a race like the Tour de France.)

Behind Evenepoel, Mas did well to finish second for the third time in his career, possibly saving Movistar from being relegated at the end of the season. But his performance is likely overshadowed in the Spanish press by Ayuso’s third-place finish. Only 19-years-old and racing his first grand tour, Ayuso is the second-youngest rider in history to finish on the podium of a grand tour. It also reminds us of the grand tour debut of his teammate Pogačar, who won three stages and finished third overall at the 2019 Vuelta–also his first grand tour–less than a week away from his 21st birthday.

Roglič was the Vuelta’s biggest disappointment, not for the manner in which he lost the race, but more for the way in which he added insult to injury by attempting to place blame on Great Britain’s Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) for causing the crash that ended his bid to win a fourth Vuelta. Releasing a press release a few days after the incident, Roglič and Jumbo-Visma looked like petulant children in the way they responded to what happened, tarnishing the image of a team and rider who have done a great job–until now–of keeping fans and the media on their side when both winning and losing. Roglič himself has now crashed out of three of the last four grand tours he’s entered, and one has to wonder if the mental toughness he’s displayed throughout much of his career is starting to falter.

What’s Next?

With a little more than a month left in the 2022 road season, all eyes will be on Wollongong, Australia which hosts the 2022 UCI Road World Championships –starting with the Men’s and Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial events–from September 18 through 25.

Traditionally, many riders use the Vuelta to prepare for Worlds, and we should see several riders from this year’s edition make the trip down under. First and foremost among them is Evenepoel, who might be a favorite in both the time trial and the road race (although he’s technically starting the road race in support of his compatriot Wout van Aert). But after winning the Vuelta, we won’t be surprised if he doesn’t make the trip–and if he does, expect a long series of post-Vuelta PR appearances to take a toll on his form.

We’ll see more rosters for Worlds finalized in the coming days, but one rider we know won’t be heading to Australia is Pedersen, who would be a top favorite if he were going but has instead chosen to stay closer to home. One rider who we expect will be racing is Great Britain’s Wright, who’s been scoring top-5 finishes all season and looks poised for a breakthrough.

The season ends with a series of one-day Classics that will determine which teams are relegated from the WorldTour, a fact that has lawyers from several teams putting pressure on the UCI to reconsider its plans. Mas did Movistar a major solid, essentially putting the Spanish squad in the “safe zone” for now. Lotto-Soudal and Israel-Premier Tech are currently on the outside looking in, with Team BikeExchange and Cofidis holding the last two spots. Looks for these four teams to do whatever they can to win whatever they can during the last few weeks of the season, with things possibly coming down to the wire as teams (and their attorneys) fight for their WorldTour lives.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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La Vuelta 2022: Jesus Herrada wins thrilling stage in Cistierna as Remco Evenepoel retains red jersey

Updated 26/08/2022 at 18:03 GMT

A nail-biting finish to Stage 7 of La Vuelta saw the breakaway defy the peloton as Jesus Herrada used all his experience to beat his fellow escapees to glory. The Spanish veteran launched from the slipstream of Britain’s Fred Wright and held off Italy’s Samuele Battistella for the win as Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel became the first rider to successfully defend the red jersey at this year's Vuelta.

Herrada wins tense Stage 7 breakaway sprint finish to beat Battistella and Wright

Evenepoel best bits at La Vuelta

• Evenepoel is ‘biggest talent’ in decades’, claims Lloyd
• Is Evenepoel’s team strong enough to keep him in red at La Vuelta?

Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Team Quick-Step - Alpha Vinyl - Red Leader Jersey competes during the 77th Tour of Spain 2022, Stage 7

Image credit: Getty Images

Samuele Battistella of Italy and Team Astana – Qazaqstan leads the breakaway during the 77th Tour of Spain 2022, Stage 7

La Vuelta Stage 7 highlights: Herrada wins dramatic breakaway sprint finish

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Sprint | Segura de León (133.2 km)

Points at finish, kom sprint (2) monasterio de tentudía (162.3 km), youth day classification, team day classification, race information.

• Date: 07 September 2022
• Start time: 13:21
• Avg. speed winner: 43.773 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 162.3 km
• Points scale: GT.B.Stage
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.GT.B.Stage - TM2022
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 161
• Vert. meters: 2755
• Departure: Aracena
• Arrival: Monasterio de Tentudía
• Race ranking: 9
• Startlist quality score: 968
• Won how: Sprint of small group
• Avg. temperature: 27 °C

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Spain euro 2024 preview: star players, matches & key fixtures.

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Spain wrapped up their preparations with a win over Northern Ireland in Mallorca.

Spain head into the 2024 European Championship looking to repeat their victories of 2008 and 2012. Doing so as one of the competition’s dark horses, La Roja has set out the goal of reaching the final stages to add to their success in UEFA’s other international competition, the Nations League, in 2023.

With a young squad full of potential, coach Luis de la Fuente will be leading the way. Recovering from a disappointing 2022 World Cup, this is an opportunity for Spain to bounce back at another tournament, this time in Germany.

Predicted Line-Up

In goal, Unai Simón is the undisputed first choice who is boosted by his performances earning him the Zamora Trophy in Spain for the best goalkeeper in La Liga in 2023/24, representing his team, Athletic Club.

The area with the most question marks in this side will be in defence, where coach Luis de la Fuente has decisions to make. Dani Carvajal is the only certainty in the right-back position, fresh from winning the Champions League with Real Madrid. Alongside him, Real Sociedad’s Robin Le Normand seems to be first choice, while Al Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte and Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernández will do battle for the other central defensive role. A knock to Laporte could see Nacho get the nod for the opening games against Croatia and Italy. At left-back, Chelsea's Marc Cucurella has been a favorite of De la Fuente's, and could edge out Bundesliga winner Álex Grimaldo.

In midfield, a three man midfield seems almost certain. Manchester City's Rodri is one of the team's leaders, and he's likely to be joined by Fabián Ruiz of Paris Saint-Germain in a double pivot. That will grant more freedom to Pedri, who will likely play in a more advanced role in a 4-2-1-3 which will transition to 4-2-3-1 in defence with the wide men dropping back.

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In attack, Álvaro Morata will captain the team and is set to start as the team’s central number nine. On either flank to support him, he’ll have Athletic Club forward Nico Williams down the left, and Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal on the right.

Spain’s Coach

Luis de la Fuente is the man to take charge of Spain at Euro 2024, coming only weeks after he signed a contract extension alongside his technical staff to commit his future to the national team until after the 2026 World Cup.

De la Fuente has previously led Spain teams at under 19, under 21 and under 23 level, most recently leading Spain at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. He stepped up to replace Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup ended in failure, and has had a mixed spell to date, leading the country to the UEFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Nations League in 2023 but earning some vocal critics at the same time.

His perceived loyalty to former RFEF president Luis Rubiales, and his standing ovation for Rubiales after the controversy of his women's World Cup kiss, have seen him criticized heavily, while others have been unimpressed by a European Championship qualifying defeat to Scotland.

With the ink on a renewed contract already dry, he has little to play for in theory, but his critics won't hold back if Spain fail to progress from what looks like a tricky group stage in Germany.

Spain’s Star Man

Unlike many previous years, Spain no longer relies upon any world class individual talents. However, if one player stands out from the rest, it's midfielder Rodri.

The Manchester City man is the most decorated of all of Spain’s players, and plays a fundamental role dictating play from midfield. As the team’s vice-captain, he will play a leadership role off and on the field, where his tough tackling and excellent distribution is a key part of De la Fuente’s system to get the ball wide quickly on the counter-attack.

Unlike in 2022, when Luis Enrique played him as a makeshift central defender, he will be at the very heart of this team. Rodri’s experience and nous will be very important for a young midfield with Pedri alongside him. His discipline to unleash the Barcelona man, and allow him to roam in attack as De la Fuente has tried in preparation for the Euros, could be what makes the difference in this tournament.

Rodri is the team's vice-captain and one of their most decorated players.

Spain’s One to Watch

This will be a first international tournament for young duo Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal on the flanks of the Spain attack, but all eyes will be particularly on the latter. His 17th birthday won’t come until the day before the Euro 2024 final, and that would be the perfect way for him to celebrate.

Yamal has excelled in all of his seven appearances for Spain, and has remarkably recorded two assists in each of his last three outings for the country. Those, in addition to a debut goal against Georgia and another against Cyprus, have allowed him to average a goal involvement every 48 minutes since making his international debut in September of last year.

His ability to take on a man and leave them for dead will catch the eye, but his strong link-up play, pace, energy and pressing will also be a strong part of Spain’s tactics in Germany.

Spain’s Euro 2024 Group Stage Fixtures

On Saturday, June 15th at 12pm ET in the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Spain will start their campaign against Croatia as one of their most competitive rivals.

Their second fixture won't get any easier, as Spain will take on the defending champions Italy on Thursday, June 20th at 3pm ET at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

Finally, Spain will wrap up the group stage with their easiest game of the three, taking on Albania on Monday, June 24th at 3pm ET in Düsseldorf at the Esprit Arena.

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First stage · Group A

DORTMUND, Germany - Spain and Croatia begin their Euro 2024 campaigns on Saturday with a rematch of last year's nervy UEFA Nations League final as they kick off the action in Group B, which also includes European champions Italy and surprise package Albania.

With memories of a heartbreaking shootout defeat by Spain still fresh in their minds, captain Luka Modric's perennial overachievers seem ready to again challenge the pre-tournament odds in their quest to finally win a major trophy.

After reaching the 2018 World Cup final and making the semi-finals four years later, having fought back to eliminate five-times champions Brazil on penalties at Qatar 2022, the Nations League final loss to Spain was a tough pill to swallow.

It also raised questions of how long the country's 'golden generation' can keep on writing one of the great underdog stories in recent soccer history.

Yet Croatia go into the tournament still relying on a midfield trio of Modric (39), Marcelo Brozovic (31) and Mateo Kovacic (30), who gave a taste of their competitive hunger on Saturday when they handed Portugal a 2-1 defeat in Lisbon.

The result did not reflect the visitors' dominance against Roberto Martinez's side, who were subdued despite being almost at full strength with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and Ruben Dias in the starting 11.

The win gave Zlatko Dalic's side a boost for their Euro 2024 debut against old rivals Spain - one of the few elite teams giant-killers Croatia have regularly failed to slain.

BLAME SPAIN

Spain are partly to blame for Croatia's failure to hit the same World Cup highs at the European Championship in which their best result has been reaching the quarter-finals twice.

It will be the fourth straight Euros in which their paths cross, with Jesus Navas' late goal in the 2012 group stage giving Spain a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarters, while they also won 5-3 after extra time in the last 16 at Euro 2020.

Croatia did, however, beat Spain 2-1 in the group stage at Euro 2016 to top the group ahead of them.

"We played them many times and we know what kind of football Spain like to play, they like possession and lulling the opposition to sleep," Croatia striker Ante Budimir told a press conference on Wednesday.

"They can be very quick and vertical at any time. As a team, they are nice to watch and easy to enjoy. (Midfielder) Rodri is very important for them. They have a lot of young players who can make a difference. A very talented and dangerous team..."

Since taking over the Spain job from Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup debacle, when they were knocked out in the last 16 on penalties by surprise package Morocco, manager Luis de la Fuente has been blending the country's young and ascending talent with experienced players very successfully.

Veteran defenders Dani Carvajal and Nacho, with Rodri in the middle and captain Alvaro Morata up front, provide the foundation and balance to allow Spain's skilled youngsters Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Pedri to create their magic.

Will that be enough to keep their winning run alive against gritty Croatia?

"We didn't come to Germany on vacation, on a tour trip, we are here to win and we'll do our best to do that," 16-year-old winger Yamal told reporters on Wednesday. "Saturday's game against Croatia is probably the most important of my career.

"They are a very strong team, very difficult to beat because they grow in these competitions. They have a lot of experience and it's clear to us that it's going to be one of the most difficult matches we will face." REUTERS

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UEFA EURO 2024 fixtures and results: When and where are the matches?

Friday, June 14, 2024

Article summary

UEFA EURO 2024 kicked off on Friday 14 June and ends with the final in Berlin on Sunday 14 July. See dates, venues and schedule.

Article top media content

Article body

Check out the full UEFA EURO 2024 final tournament schedule below. All kick-off times are CEST.

When are the EURO 2024 matches?

Group stage.

14 June Group A: Germany 5-1 Scotland ( Munich )

15 June A: Hungary vs Switzerland ( Cologne , 15:00) B: Spain vs Croatia ( Berlin , 18:00) B: Italy vs Albania ( Dortmund , 21:00)

16 June D: Poland vs Netherlands ( Hamburg , 15:00) C: Slovenia vs Denmark ( Stuttgart , 18:00) C: Serbia vs England ( Gelsenkirchen , 21:00)

17 June E: Romania vs Ukraine ( Munich , 15:00) E: Belgium vs Slovakia ( Frankfurt , 18:00) D: Austria vs France ( Düsseldorf , 21:00)

18 June F: Türkiye vs Georgia ( Dortmund , 18:00) F: Portugal vs Czechia ( Leipzig , 21:00)

19 June B: Croatia vs Albania ( Hamburg , 15:00) A: Germany vs Hungary ( Stuttgart , 18:00) A: Scotland vs Switzerland ( Cologne , 21:00)

20 June C: Slovenia vs Serbia ( Munich , 15:00) C: Denmark vs England ( Frankfurt , 18:00) B: Spain vs Italy ( Gelsenkirchen , 21:00)

21 June E: Slovakia vs Ukraine ( Düsseldorf , 15:00) D: Poland vs Austria ( Berlin , 18:00) D: Netherlands vs France ( Leipzig , 21:00)

22 June F: Georgia vs Czechia ( Hamburg , 15:00) F: Türkiye vs Portugal ( Dortmund , 18:00) E: Belgium vs Romania ( Cologne , 21:00)

Did you know...?

As part of UEFA's commitment to making EURO 2024 a reference event for sustainability in sport, venues and matches have been organised in regionalised clusters. This reduces the number of flights taken by teams by 75 per cent compared to EURO 2016, as well as ensuring easier, sustainable transport between matches for supporters.

23 June A: Switzerland vs Germany ( Frankfurt , 21:00) A: Scotland vs Hungary ( Stuttgart , 21:00)

24 June B: Croatia vs Italy ( Leipzig , 21:00) B: Albania vs Spain ( Düsseldorf , 21:00)

25 June D: Netherlands vs Austria ( Berlin , 18:00) D: France vs Poland ( Dortmund , 18:00) C: England vs Slovenia ( Cologne , 21:00) C: Denmark vs Serbia ( Munich , 21:00)

26 June E: Slovakia vs Romania ( Frankfurt , 18:00) E: Ukraine vs Belgium ( Stuttgart , 18:00) F: Czechia vs Türkiye ( Hamburg , 21:00) F: Georgia vs Portugal ( Gelsenkirchen , 21:00)

Rest days on 27 and 28 June

When does the EURO 2024 round of 16 start?

29 June 38 2A vs 2B ( Berlin , 18:00) 37 1A vs 2C ( Dortmund , 21:00)

30 June 40 1C vs 3D/E/F ( Gelsenkirchen ), 18:00) 39 1B vs 3A/D/E/F ( Cologne , 21:00)

1 July 42 2D vs 2E ( Düsseldorf , 18:00) 41 1F vs 3A/B/C ( Frankfurt , 21:00)

2 July 43 1E vs 3A/B/C/D ( Munich , 18:00) 44 1D vs 2F ( Leipzig ), 21:00)

Rest days on 3 and 4 July

When do the EURO 2024 quarter-finals start?

5 July 45 W39 vs W37 ( Stuttgart , 18:00) 46 W41 vs W42 ( Hamburg , 21:00)

6 July 48 W40 vs W38 ( Düsseldorf , 18:00) 47 W43 vs W44 ( Berlin , 21:00)

Rest days on 7 and 8 July

When do the EURO 2024 semi-finals start?

9 July 49 W45 vs W46 ( Munich , 21:00)

10 July 50 W47 vs W48 ( Dortmund , 21:00)

Rest days on 11, 12 and 13 July

When is the EURO 2024 final?

14 July W49 vs W50 ( Berlin , 21:00)

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Tour de Suisse Women 2024 - Analysing the contenders

Climbers reunited as Women's WorldTour stage racing continues with mountainous four-day event in Switzerland

After back-to-back races at RideLondon Classique and Tour of Britain Women, the top-tier peloton returns to racing in Europe for the four-day Tour de Suisse Women held from June 15-18.

The stronger climbers of the peloton will return to racing in Switzerland as many of them had competed in the more mountainous stages races in Spain in early May before taking time out to recover during the sprinter-friendly events on British soil.

The Tour de Suisse might not be the most mountainous event on the calendar, but it is a challenging route that will likely see the pure climbers and powerful breakaway specialists excel . With a mid-race time trial also on the menu, there is all to play for across the four days of racing which, for many, will also provide a building block toward the longer stage races of the Giro d'Italia Women in July and the Tour de France Femmes in August.

Cyclingnews looks at the riders to watch in the fourth edition of the Tour de Suisse Women.

Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime)

Defending champion Marlen Reusser has opted to skip the Tour de Suisse Women this year, but SD Worx-Protime still field the outright favourite in Demi Vollering.

The Dutch Champion finished second overall in last year's edition and has the strength and experience to give her team a second consecutive victory. She comes into the race recovered from her back-to-back wins at Vuelta España Femenina, Itzulia Women, and Vuelta a Burgos, with the aim being to keep her winning streak alive.

It is also the first test of the next phase of the season, which all point toward her major targets at the Olympic Games and the Tour de France Femmes. In fact, Vollering has recently returned from previewing all eight stages , including Alpe d'Huez, while travelling across France on a training holiday in her camper.

The course is also well-suited to Vollering, who has proven her ability to succeed across hilly terrain, time trials and in the mountains. It would not be surprising if SD Worx-Protime dominated in all four stages and won the overall classification.

Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM)

Elise Chabbey gives her home crowds a real contender to cheer for at the Tour de Suisse Women. She finished second overall in 2021 and fifth last year.

Chabbey's success at the Tour de Suisse Women has grown from her strength and ability to read a race and join the most decisive breakaways, and she often zeros in on gaining points toward special categories such as the mountain classification.

It would not be surprising to see Chabbey race in a similar fashion this year. Even while potentially working in a support role for her teammate Kasia Niewiadoma, the rider who last month finished in the top five at both Vuelta a Burgos and Itzulia Women could land herself a stage win and another top placing in the overall classification. 

Chabbey might be somewhat of a wildcard for Canyon-SRAM, but her consistency lies in her determination to race aggressively, roll the dice, and make the most of every stage.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

The Italian Champion returns to the Tour de Suisse Women after finishing third last year behind SD Worx teammates Reusser and Vollering. She took a month-long break from competition following the Vuelta España Femenina and so will be somewhat of a wildcard, too.

Even if she is not at her best, Longo Borghini will undoubtedly race for both stages and general classification. She has a solid team to support her aggressive style of racing, including Brodie Chapman and Amanda Spratt, and the squad also has a pure climber in Gaia Realini.

While it is a top-tier event, the four days of racing offer somewhat of a gauge for Longo Borghini to test her form on the hills, in a time trial, and against some of her main rivals in bigger events up ahead.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-SUEZ)

FDJ-SUEZ will have two major cards to play with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Évita Muzic. Uttrup Ludwig only recently returned to racing at the Vuelta a Burgos after taking three months off to recover from a fractured sacrum.

She recently competed at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and appears to be on her way to rebuilding her form toward objectives later in the summer. The Tour de Suisse should provide a good indication of where her strengths are and what she needs to improve on before tackling events like the Giro d'Italia Women and the Tour de France Femmes.

Muzic could be the more likely contender for the overall classification at this point, having shown promising results earlier this year; fourth at Flèche Wallonne, fifth at Vuelta España Femenina and second at Vuelta a Burgos.

She recently expressed her disappointment over not being selected by the French team to compete at the Olympic Games, and so Muzic will undoubtedly want to make the most of the top-tier stage racing with her trade team FDJ-SUEZ.

Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich PostNL)

Juliette Labous earned a spot on the French team for the Olympic Games and so her performance at the Tour de Suisse will likely be one of the first steps toward Paris.

She has had one of her best seasons so far, with a fourth overall at Vuelta España Femenina and third overall at Itzulia Women. Like many of her rivals, Labous took a long break after competing in the Ardennes Classics and Spanish stage races and is likely recovered and ready to begin rebuilding her form.

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL will go all-in for Labous with a powerful support team on the climbs of Becky Storrie, Nienke Vinke, and Eglantine Rayer.

She has also honed in on her time trial strength, so watch for her to gain time in the overall classification on stage 2, while holding her own against the likes of Vollering and Longo Borghini across the challenging hills in Switzerland.

Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale)

EF Education-Cannondale is having a successful debut season, with the new Continental outfit turning heads in nearly every race they enter. The team has multiple riders to watch, including another home favourite, Noemi Rüegg, American Kristen Faulkner and New Zealand's Kim Cadzow.

Rüegg won the first race of the season for the team at Trofeo Felanitx-Colònia de Sant Jordi, and then went on to place second at Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx, eighth at Durango - Durango Emakumeen Saria and sixth overall at Vuelta a Burgos.

Her teammate Faulkner has equally shined, winning Omloop van het Hageland, taking two stage wins and second overall at Trofeo Ponente in Rosa, a stage win and 12th overall at Vuelta España Femenina and victory in the road race and second in the time trial at the USA Pro Road Championships. Faulkner also has ample experience at the Tour de Suisse Women, having finished second overall behind Lucinda Brand in 2022 after one of the most exciting races of that season.

Then there is Cadzow, who was 17th overall when she debuted at the race last year but since then the relative newcomer to the peloton has shown considerable growth.  Apart from winning New Zealand's time trial title and the Trofeo Ponente in Rosa the 22 year old has delivered a sixth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and top ten overall at Vuelta España Femenina.

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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews , overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.

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Vuelta 2022 Route stage 4: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Laguardia

The race takes entirely place in the province of Álava, while it is predominantly played out on lumpy terrain. The route includes two KOM climbs – Puerto de Opakua (5 kilometres à 6.9%) and Puerto de Herrera (7.3 kilometres at 4.8%) – , while the finale also runs uphill. It’s a punchy finish of 800 metres at almost 10%.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is a regular host of the Itzulia Basque Country. Year in year out, a stage starts in one of the greenest cities in Spain, while it has been only two years since the last visit of la Vuelta. Back then, the race went to Villanueva de Valdegovía, and Michael Woods took the spoils. The Canadian outgunned Omar Fraile, Alejandro Valverde, Nans Peters and Guillaume Martin in a compelling finale.

Contrary to Vitoria-Gasteiz, Laguardia does not see a lot of pro-pelotons.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 4 Vuelta .

Another interesting read: route 4th stage 2022 Vuelta.

Vuelta a España 2022 stage 4: route, profile, more

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