Vuelta a España 2025 route - Stage-by-stage guide

The route of the 2025 Vuelta a España covers 3,151 kilometres, and 53,914 metres of elevation gain over the course of 21 stages featuring 11 summit finishes and across 4 different countries.

Next to these 21 stages, there are 2 rest days during the three-week stage race. Let's take a closer look at the route, stage-by-stage

For the sixth time in the race's history, the Vuelta a España begins with a foreign start. After hosting the start of the Tour de France in 2024, Italy will kick off the 2025 Vuelta a España with a flat stage in the Piemonte region. 

It's only the third time that the Vuelta a España will begin with a linear road stage in this century, after 2007 and 2020. The opening stage is also the second longest in the race. 

The 183-kilometre route begins in the city of Turin, which hosted the finish of stage 3 in the 2024 Tour de France won by Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), and this flat route is likely to produce another sprint finish, which will decide the first race leader and red jersey wearer of the Vuelta. 

With only one categorised climb on the route, coming with over 110km from the finish, the stage finishes in Novara and promises a showdown between the sprinters. The main challenge for the fast men will be to win the all-important fight for position in the tense and chaotic finale.

Stage 2 presents the first opportunity for the general classification contenders to flex their muscles. Unipuerto stages, flat but with an uphill finish, are common in the Vuelta a España.

The run in from Alba to Limone Piemonte is mainly flat, so the peloton should be largely whole in the race to the foot of the second-category climb. The fight for position will be important with plenty of fresh legs still in the bunch.

With a 5.4% gradient for the 7.6 kilometre slopes of the climb to Limone Piemonte, significant gaps between the GC contenders are unlikely. The fight for the stage win and red jersey should take centre stage.

It's a climb that holds a nice balance in the sense that it could favour an opportunistic attack, or also a patient rider who bides their time for a reduced group sprint.

The final full stage in Italy is the second shortest of the race, at 139km in length and has been categorised by the race organisers as a medium mountain profile. 

If Mads Pedersen arrives in a similar fashion to the Giro d'Italia, where the former world champion claimed four stage wins, he should be the man to beat - something that could be said for many stages. 

However, there will be riders fancying their chances from the breakaway, so the favourites will need a strong and organised teams to keep things in check. 

The final 10km are a gradual uphill drag, with a kick towards the finish line in Ceres.

Stage 4 skips a traditional rest day for travel from Italy, instead taking riders through France to Spain via the French Alps. The race organisers avoided major Alpine passes, selecting three categorised climbs: two second-category and one third-category.

The peloton enters France at the second-category Col de Montgenèvre, 40km into the stage. This 9km climb, averaging 5.5%, marks the day’s toughest ascent. Most of the stage’s 3,000+ meters of elevation gain occur in the first half, culminating at the Col du Lautaret at 70km. A long, winding descent follows, leading to mostly flat roads toward the finish in Voiron, except for the uncategorized Col de Comboire, 1.7km at 8.5%, with 22km to go.

Despite the 3,000+ meters of climbing, which typically favours climbers, some fast finishers may still contend for the stage. The early climbs could drop them, but the long descent and flat run-in offer ample opportunity to rejoin the peloton. Breakaway riders must build a substantial lead in the mountains while sprinters struggle, hoping the gap holds against a potentially disorganised chase.

This stage sets the stage for a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle between breakaway riders and sprinters.

The Vuelta a España returns home on stage 5. However, it's not a typical road stage that awaits the riders, but a team time trial in the Catalonian city of Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dalí. Stage 2 of the 2025 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya finished in the city and was won in a sprint finish by Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) ahead of fellow British rider Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike).

Stage 5 is the latest that a team time trial has taken place in Vuelta history since stage 8b's 4km TTT in Madrid in 1974. After four stages of racing, it's possible that some teams could begin with a rider already out, and this could have a big impact.

The route is predominantly flat except for a short drag to the finish line, which will make pacing strategies more crucial.

The general classification contenders who have strong rouleurs and time trial specialists around them will thrive on this stage and could take a significant advantage on those who aren't so fortunate. 

Stage 6 takes the riders into the Pyrenees for the first major mountain stage of the race, firstly on Spanish, then Andorran roads, which will be a familiar stomping ground to many of the riders in the bunch.

The fight for the break will be fierce on the category two Collada de Sentigosa. The climb is over 11km in length, giving the break plenty of time to form. But if the race hasn't settled beyond the summit, the first category one climb of the Vuelta, Collada de Toses, should shake out the field. 

Entering Andorra with around 35km left in the stage, the riders will take on the category two Alto de la Comella as a warm-up before the summit finish to the category one Pal.Andorra.

The final climb towards Pal.Andorra shares the first few kilometres used on the climb to Arinsal on stage 3 in the 2023 edition, won in a reduced group sprint by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) before the then Belgian champion was involved in a crash after the finish line. It's a climb set to illustrate the strongest GC contenders and give a clearer indication of who the podium challengers will be.

This is the most mountainous stage of the 2025 Vuelta, featuring over 4,400 metres of elevation gain over four major climbs. 

Beginning in Andorra, the race crosses the border back into Spain, on the approach to the Port del Cantó. It's a climb broken into steps, with short plateaus and downhill's skewing the average gradient. The climb's last appearance in a grand tour wasn't at the Vuelta, but stage 9 of the 2016 Tour de France, where Tom Dumoulin won from the breakaway in a finish marred by torrential weather.

The Puerto de la Creu de Perves and Coll de l'Espina make up the middle portion of the stage. Whilst not difficult on paper as the two other climbs on the menu, they'll play their part in building fatigue. It'll be a key stage for the mountains classification, with those eyeing the jersey needing to capitalise on a stage of this magnitude.

These climbs will serve as the hors d'oeuvre for the main course, the summit finish to Cerler.Huesca la Magia. The 12km category one climb is broken into three steps, with short descents breaking each section up, and steep sections to create significant damage.

After two brutal stages in the mountains, stage 8 rewards the sprinters with an opportunity to shine. Many Vuelta 'flat' stages still feature climbs that can put the fast men out of contention, but stage 8 is truly designed for a bunch sprint. 

With zero categorised climbs on the menu, it's the flattest road stage of the race, with just over 1,100 metres of climbing. The tension and anticipation will slowly build towards a fast finish. Zaragoza is the second most visited city in Vuelta history behind the capital, Madrid, with this being its 52nd stage finish. Juan Sebastián Molano was the winner the last time in Zaragoza in 2023.

It will be a welcome change of pace for the GC contenders, but it's not a stage to lose concentration on, as things could become precarious in the fast and frantic run-in to Zaragoza, so those involved in the battle for red will need to remain vigilant.

The final stage before the first rest day is another one to draw out the general classification contenders.

Despite only one categorised climb to contend with, the peloton will have their work cut out on a long and unrelenting stage with over 3,200 metres of elevation gain and lumpy terrain throughout.

The stage is set to finish atop the Valdezcaray ski station for the first time since 2021, when Simon Clarke outsprinted Tony Martin in a sprint à deux. Valdezcaray featured for three consecutive years in individual time trials won by Pedro Delgado (1989), Jean-François Bernard (1990), and Fabio Enrique Parra (1991), and there were wins in this location for Sean Kelly (1989) and Alex Zulle (1996).

The climb is longer than it is steep, meaning that the opportunity to make significant differences in the general classification is less likely than in stages 6 and 7. But nonetheless, the GC contenders will have to be on their game with many tired legs after a tough first nine stages of racing.

The second week of the racing begins with a stage that could be a slow-burner in the Navarre region. For its majority, there aren't any significant features of the profile, mainly rolling terrain, until the Alto de las Coronas with around 50km to go. 

This climb isn't designed to blow the race apart, but serves as a warm-up for the final climb of the day, where the outcome of this stage hinges. 

The category one El Ferial Larra Belagua climb, on the French-Spanish border, will serve as the show-stopping arena for the conclusion of stage 10. 

This climb was the setting for Remco Evenepoel's redemption in the 2023 edition. The Belgian hadn't fallen out of GC contention on stage 13, but just a stage later, battled his way into the breakaway and rode solo to victory atop the slopes of the Larra Belagua climb.

Stage 11 could produce fireworks in the Basque Country with a route that starts and finishes in  Bilbao, the fifth most visited city in Vuelta history

This stage features seven short but punchy categorised climbs across 167km, the highest number in a single stage of the 2025 edition.

Cast your minds back to the 2023 Tour de France Grand Départ and the opening stage won by Adam Yates ahead of his brother Simon. Both the Alto de Vivero and the Alto de Pike were used on that occasion, and will feature here, among a plethora of short but steep climbs, which should enable the puncheurs to shine amongst the GC contenders.

The final climb of the stage is the Alto de Pike, but the summit comes 8km from the finish, meaning that the damage can be done on the climbs, but the race may not necessarily be won, with a technical descent to follow on a fast run-in to the finish.

This is an interestingly poised stage with two difficult climbs on the route, but the positioning of each will influence the way the stage is raced. 

Beginning in Laredo, which last hosted a stage finish of the Vuelta in 1974, won by Juan Manuel Santisteban, the peloton will face Puerto de Alisas, around 40km into the stage. The middle portion of the stage is mainly flat, with the exception of a couple of uncategorised kickers before the more difficult category one climb of the Collada de Brenes.

The climb to Alisas should have a significant impact on the stage, as maybe a launchpad for attacks, and also a point in the stage where many of the faster finishers could be put to the sword. On paper, the climb is difficult enough to draw out the GC contenders for battle. Still, due to its positioning, more than 20km from the finish and with the L'Angliru to come the following day, the GC action may be minimal and focused towards the stage win battle.

Fortune favours the brave on a finale that features a descent followed by a flat run into Los Corrales de Buelna. The town hosts a Vuelta stage finish for the first time since 1999, when Laurent Brochard took the win.

This is the stage that the teams will have marked on their calendars when the route was first unveiled, and for good reason, too. The mighty L'Angliru returns to the Vuelta, but it's just one of three significant climbs in what is the longest stage of the 2025 edition. There is well and truly no place to hide on a stage like this. 

Before the Angliru, there are two more category one climbs, the Alto de Mozqueta and the Alto de Cordal, both featuring in the last 60km and will serve as a brutal ‘warm-up’ for the main event. 

The Angliru is as savage as they come and has earned itself mythical status in the 25 years since its debut in 1999. 12.5km long, with an average of over 10%, the second half of the climb is the most difficult, and the most infamous section reaches gradients of 23.5% with around 3km remaining.

Visma | Lease a Bike will have happy memories of the climb, completing a 1-2-3 the last time the climb featured in 2023, with Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss, though the Dane will want to win this time around.

If the inclusion of the L'Angliru wasn't harsh enough, the race organisers have been ruthless by following up stage 13 with another major mountain affair. 

However, one of the most notable differences is that stage 14 is considerably shorter, at 135km in length.

There are a couple of category one climbs in the final third of the stage. Firstly, the Puertu de San Llaurienzu will whittle the peloton down ahead of the summit finish on La Farrapona, a climb which starts long before the official categorisation, where the road gets increasingly steeper.

La Farrapona has hosted three stage finishes since 2011, won by Rein Taaramäe (2011), Alberto Contador (2014), and most recently David Gaudu (2020). The stage won by Contador in 2014 stands out, with Chris Froome launching multiple attacks on the red jersey before El Pistolero landed the decisive blow inside the flamme rouge, a key moment en route to overall victory.

It’s a tough start to stage fifteen with the Puerto A Garganta right out of the blocks. In truth, the majority of the stage’s climbing comes in its first half. 

It could lead to a big battle for the breakaway, the stage designed for the escapees to make it all the way. The teams and riders will know this, and consequently it could become one of those brutal grand tour stages where it takes an age for the break to go, and be a much harder day than it looks on paper. 

The run-in to Monforte de Lemos is flat, but there are opportunities in the final 40km to make a long-range attack, fuga de la fuga style. 

Magnus Cort was the last Vuelta stage winner in Monforte de Lemos, winning from a breakaway sprint of seven riders on stage 19 in 2021, his sixth victory at the race.

The third and final week kicks off with a stage featuring four categorised climbs and a summit finish.

Beginning in Poio on the Spanish west coast, the first 70km of the stage are rarely flat, but avoid any categorised climbs. 

Things change significantly in the stage's second half, with the Alto de Groba, a climb which is still over 60km from the finish. The last pair of climbs could see the breakaway shine, but also doesn't rule out the possibility of GC action.

The final climb, the Alto Castro de Herville, was used as the finishing climb for stage 20 in the 2021 edition, a rather chaotic stage which saw Clément Champoussin emerge as victorious from all the fireworks by catching and immediately attacking the front group to take his first grand tour stage. All the while, Miguel Ángel López's race fell off a cliff, losing his third-place position on the podium, with abandoning the race after a disagreement with his then Movistar staff, allowing Jack Haig to prosper.

Stage 17 has lumpy terrain throughout; however, the Alto de el Morredero dwarfs the rest of the route in the stage profile in what is the penultimate summit finish of the race.

The Paso de las Travesías is the first and more lenient of the two climbs, and the riders will reach its summit with over 50km until the finish, reducing its significance. 

The Alto de el Morredero rightly earns its category one status for a number of reasons, including its length and gradients. 

But importantly, this climb is very inconsistent in its nature, mixed with a flurry of steep ramps with double-digit gradients, plateaus, and even a brief downhill section, and this only increases the difficulty as the riders will struggle to find a steady rhythm.

Stage 18 is late for the first individual time trial of the Vuelta, but due to the team time trial on stage 5, the schedule has fallen this way. 

The 26km route around the city of Valladolid is pan-flat and will suit the time trial specialists, with enough road to build into your effort. 

For the general classification picture, the pure climbers who lack in the time trial department could lose significant time to those who are more well-versed in the discipline.

Valladolid last hosted a time trial of the Vuelta a España just two years ago in 2023, where Filippo Ganna won the stage, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel.

It's been a while, but stage 19 gifts an opportunity for the sprinters, if there's any left in the race at this point...

However, despite the lack of categorised climbs on route, as is often the case with the Vuelta, the 'flat' stages at this point of the race are on rolling terrain. If there is a lack of firepower and cooperation from the sprint teams, the breakaway will also fancy their chances here. 

The finish town of Guijuelo is a 25-minute drive away from Bejar, the birthplace of Roberto Heras, who is tied with Primož Roglič for the most Vuelta a España victories with 4 each.

To throw in an additional obstacle for the sprinters, the closing kilometres feature an uncategorised drag towards Guijuelo which will sting the legs of plenty and could influence the type of bunch sprint we see, if there even is one for the stage win.

The final GC stage sees the riders take on one of the most difficult stages of the race, and it will be pivotal in the battle for the red jersey.

Beginning with consecutive category three climbs, the Alto de La Escondida, and the Puerto de La Paradilla, before the category two test of the Alto del León, these climbs are made to look quite insignificant compared to what’s to come, but they will certainly still sting the legs nonetheless.

However, all eyes will be on the two ascents of the category 1, Puerto de Navacerrada, a renowned climb that has served as the setting for the finale of stage 20 in multiple previous Vueltas, most recently in 2022 when Richard Carapaz beat Thymen Arensman to the stage, whilst behind, Remco Evenepoel wrapped up his maiden grand tour victory. However, this year, there is a twist.

The second ascent will see the riders tackle the original slopes before continuing to climb on towards Bola Del Mundo, where the road becomes steeper as the altitude increases. The final 3.2km towards Bola del Mundo, averaging 12.2% could be where the difference is made and sitting 2,200m above sea level, the climb stands parallel with the Angliru as one of the most fierce tests in the 2025 Vuelta. 

After an individual time trial wrapped up the 2024 edition, this year presents one last opportunity for the sprinters on the processional stage to the Spanish capital. 

Back in 2023, Kaden Groves won the final stage, but it was much more than just a typical bunch sprint, with the Australian winning after being in an elite breakaway which included Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna. 

That stage might inspire riders to try their luck again here.

For the race leader, the only aim will be to avoid an incident or accident on what will quickly become a chaotic finale, with the final opportunity for a stage win. 

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