2017 Vuelta Espana Route Revealed

This year’s Spanish Grand Tour features nine summit finishes and ascents of the Sierra Nevada and Angliru

Increased number of longer final climbs through the high mountains of Andalusia, Cantabria and Asturias, making it even more of a race for the top climbers.

Despite traversing the Pyrenees, the first uphill finish of the race does not come until stage five on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, with the 2km climb to Ermita Santa Lucia averaging almost 12 per cent.

Similar uphill tests await the riders on stages eight and nine, with the 2 mile 11 per cent climb of Xorret de Cati, and the 2 mile 10 per cent climb of Cumbre del Sol. In 2015 Tom Dumoulin beat Chris Froome on this stage to take the red jersey.

The Cala Alto and Sierra Nevada climbs are more than 12 miles long, together with La Pandera they form a trio of challenging summit finishes in Andalusia, during the Vuelta’s second week.

The final showdown will be in the last six days, with one new climb thats 9 miles uphill to Los Machucos in Cantabria, before returning to the fearsome Angliru, Spain’s toughest single climb, on the final Saturday. This 7.5 mile climb averages 10 per cent and reaches 24 per cent and is a popular climd in the Vuelta a España and has been for many years.

Another unusual feature for the Vuelta is its Grand Départ in France, the first abroad start since Holland in 2009. Other more traditional features include an opening team time trial, a mid-length individual time trial in the third week and a finish in Madrid. The race route also includes an unwelcome return of some very long transfers – a 800 kilometer trek from Sierra Nevada to Logroño and a 400 kilometer drive from the Angler to Madrid.

Alejandro Valverde said of this year's route “It looks like a really demanding Vuelta a España. Some people will probably say they shot completely off the mark, and for those like us who are suffering it on the bike it will be even more of a challenge, but I understand and prefer to have it this way. At the end of the day, fans want spectacle, and with this route, I'm confident the race will be really attractive for them."

"You'll have to plan your training schedule well and peak early, because those three mountain-top finishes in the first week will take a big share in the overall result. For the climbs on week two - I know them really well, they're really demanding and high altitude combined with the slopes will make a big impact. That will pay off a lot when entering the Cantabria stages, and also L'Angliru, famous for its incredible ramps. It's a climber's course, no doubts about that. No place for TT specialists who climb just well; not even for sprinters, because some stages, like the one in Murcia, are mountain ones even if they don't finish uphill. The fact that the race goes through my region makes it even more special."

2017 Vuelta Espana Stages

Stage one: Nimes (Fra) – Nimes (Fra) (TTT)
Stage two: Nimes (Fra) – Gruissan (Fra)
Stage three: Prades (Fra) – Andorra La Vella (And)
Stage four: Escaldes (And) – Tarragona (Esp)
Stage five: Benicassim – Ermita Santa Lucia (summit finish)
Stage six: Villareal – Sagunto
Stage seven: Lliria – Cuenca
Stage eight: Hellin – Xorret de Cati (summit finish)
Stage nine: Orihuela – Cumbre del Sol (summit finish)
REST DAY
Stage 10: Caravaca – Le Pozo (Alhama)
Stage 11: Lorca – Calar Alto (summit finish)
Stage 12: Motril – Antequera
Stage 13: Coin – Tomares
Stage 14: Ecija – La Pandera (summit finish)
Stage 15: Alcala la Real – Sierra Nevada (summit finish)
TRANSFER DAY
Stage 16: Los Arcos – Logrono (ITT)
Stage 17: Viladiego – Los Machucos (summit finish)
Stage 18: Suances – Santo Toribio de Liebana (summit finish)
Stage 19: Parque de Redes – Gijon
Stage 20: Corvera – Angliru (summit finish)
Stage 21: Arroyomolinos – Madrid