View source for Vuelta a España

{{Short description|Annual bicycle race primarily held in Spain}}
{{For|most recent|2025 Vuelta a España}}
{{Redirect|La Vuelta|other uses|vuelta (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox cycling race
| name          = Vuelta a España
| current_event = 
| image         = [[File:La Vuelta (Spain) logo.svg|270px]]
| date          = August–September (since 1995)
| region        = Spain
| english       = Tour of Spain
| localnames    = Vuelta Ciclista a España {{in lang|es}}
| nickname      = ''La Vuelta''
| discipline    = [[Road bicycle racing|Road]]
| competition   = [[UCI World Tour]]
| type          = [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tour]]
| organiser     = [[Unipublic]]<br>[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]
| director      = Javier Guillén
| website       = lavuelta.es
| first         = {{start date and age|df=yes|1935|4|29}}
| number        = 80 (as of [[2025 Vuelta a España|2025]])
| final         =
| firstwinner   = {{flagathlete|[[Gustaaf Deloor]]|BEL}}
| mostwins      = {{flagathlete|[[Roberto Heras]]|ESP}}<br>{{flagathlete|[[Primož Roglič]]|SLO}}<br>''(4 wins)''
| mostrecent    = {{flagathlete|[[Jonas Vingegaard]]|DEN}}
}}
The '''Vuelta a España''' ({{IPA|es|ˈbwelta a esˈpaɲa}}; {{langx|en|"Tour of Spain"}}) is an annual [[stage race|multi-stage]] [[road bicycle racing|road cycling]] race primarily held in [[Spain]]. Inspired by the success of the [[Tour de France]] and the [[Giro d'Italia]], the race was first organised in [[1935 Vuelta a España|1935]].<ref name="cyclingrevealed1">{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/Sept06/Vuelta/VaEhistory06.htm |title=Cycling Revealed |publisher=Cycling Revealed |access-date=2012-08-07}}</ref> The race was prevented from being run by the [[Spanish Civil War]] and World War II in the early years of its existence; however, the race has been held annually since [[1955 Vuelta a España|1955]].<ref name="cyclingrevealed1"/> As the Vuelta gained prestige and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend all around the globe. Since 1979, the event has been staged and managed by [[Unipublic]], until in 2014, when the [[Amaury Sport Organisation]] acquired control. Since then, they have been working together. The [[peloton]] expanded from a primarily Spanish participation to include riders from all over the world. The Vuelta is a [[UCI World Tour]] event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly [[UCI WorldTeam]]s, with the exception of the [[Wild card (sports)#Road cycling|wild card]] teams that the organizers can invite.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI2/layout.asp?MenuId=MTUyMjQ |title=Union Cycliste Internationale |publisher=Uci.ch |access-date=2012-08-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=When is the Criterium route announced. |url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/530629/uci-worldtour-calendar-2012.html |title=UCI WorldTour calendar 2012 &#124; Latest News |magazine=Cycling Weekly |access-date=2012-08-06}}</ref>

Along with the [[Tour de France]] and [[Giro d'Italia]], the Vuelta is one of cycling's prestigious [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tours]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2007/abu_dhabi07 |title=Million dollar, baby! |website=[[Cycling News]]|date=12 January 2007 |access-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref> First held in [[1935 Vuelta a España|1935]] and annually since [[1955 Vuelta a España|1955]], the Vuelta runs for three weeks in a changing route across Spain. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, with the appearance of at least two time trials, the passage through the mountain chain of the [[Pyrenees]] or the [[Cantabrian Mountains]], and the finish in the Spanish capital [[Madrid]]. The modern editions of the Vuelta a España consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days.

It was originally held in the spring, usually late April, with a few editions held in June in the 1940s. In [[1995 Vuelta a España|1995]], however, the race moved to September to avoid direct competition with the [[Giro d'Italia]], held in May. As a result, the Vuelta is now often seen as an important preparation for the [[UCI Road World Championships|World Championships]], which moved to October the same year. However, starting in 2023 this is no longer the case as every fourth year the Worlds will now be held in August. A Vuelta was also organized in August and September 1950. The race now usually starts in late August, but the [[2020 Vuelta a España|2020]] race started in October due to a delay caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

All of the stages are timed to the finish; after finishing, the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to don the [[List of Vuelta a España general classification winners|red jersey]]. While the general classification garners the most attention, there are, or have been, other contests held within the Vuelta: the [[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|points classification]] for the sprinters, the [[Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España|mountains classification]] for the climbers, the [[Combination classification in the Vuelta a España|combination classification]] for the all-round riders, and the [[team classification]] for the competing teams.

[[La Vuelta Femenina]], a women's edition of the race, was first held in [[2023 La Vuelta Femenina|2023]], part of the [[UCI Women's World Tour]]. This follows smaller races staged in conjunction with the Vuelta between [[2015 La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta|2015]] and [[2022 Challenge by La Vuelta|2022]].

==History==
===Origins===
The first races in Spain were run at the national level and were promoted by the bicycle manufacturers from [[Eibar]]. Consequently, the tour was Eibar&nbsp;– Madrid&nbsp;– Eibar, and called the Grand Prix of the Republic.

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  from:1984 till:1985 text:"[[Eric Caritoux]]" color:France
  from:1985 till:1986 text:"[[Pedro Delgado]]" color:Spain
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  from:1990 till:1991 text:"[[Marco Giovannetti]]" color:Italy
  from:1991 till:1992 text:"[[Melchor Mauri]]" color:Spain
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===1935–1960===
[[Image:1vueltaespana.jpg|thumb|left|The daily ''Informaciones'' with information about the Vuelta a España first edition]]

In early 1935, former cyclist Clemente López Doriga, in collaboration with Juan Pujol, director of the daily newspaper ''Informaciones'', organized the Vuelta a España,<ref name=pc>{{cite web |url=http://www.podiumcafe.com/2011/1/7/1920607/vuelta-fables-the-basque-issue |title=Vuelta Fables: The Basque Issue |last1=McKay |first1=Fergal |date=7 January 2011 |website=podiumcafe.com |access-date=10 April 2014}}</ref> The inaugural event saw 50 entrants face a 3,411&nbsp;km (2,119&nbsp;mi.) course over only 14 stages, averaging over 240&nbsp;km (149&nbsp;mi.) per stage. It was inspired by the success of the Tours in France and Italy, and the boost they brought to the circulations of their sponsoring newspapers (''[[L'Équipe|L'Auto]]'' and ''[[La Gazzetta dello Sport]]'' respectively); Pujol of instigated the race to increase ''Informaciones'''s circulation.

The first stage took the riders from Madrid&nbsp;to [[Valladolid]]. That year saw the first great duel in the history of the Vuelta, between Belgium's [[Gustaaf Deloor]], who ultimately won, and [[Mariano Cañardo]], Spanish runner-up.

The second edition of the Vuelta, finally held despite the delicate political situation, was also marked by the Deloor repeat, who this time held the lead from the first day to the last. The 1936 edition remains the longest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407&nbsp;km. Gustaaf finished first and his older brother [[Alfons Deloor|Alfons]] finished second overall.

[[File:Le Belge Gustaaf Deloor, vainqueur de son second Tour d'Espagne, en juin 1936.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gustaaf Deloor]], winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta in 1935 and 1936]]

After the first two editions, the Spanish race suffered a hiatus because of the [[Spanish Civil War]].

In [[1941 Vuelta a España|1941]], the Vuelta resumed competition with an almost entirely Spanish peloton and very little foreign representation. That year the first time trial was held in the Vuelta. [[Julián Berrendero]] was proclaimed the winner, and he recaptured the title the next year. In addition, Berrendero was King of the Mountains for three consecutive years.

With [[World War II]] and the precarious economic situation, there was another break in the running of the Vuelta a España.

In 1945, the Journal took over organization of the race and competition resumed, although again with few foreign competitors in the peloton. On this occasion, [[Delio Rodríguez]] took the final victory. That year also introduced the points classification, but this was not stable until 1955. Four editions were run until 1950.

Subsequently, there was no Vuelta until 1955, when it was organized by the Basque newspaper ''[[El Correo|El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco]]''.<ref name=pc /> Since then, the Vuelta a España has been run annually. At this time, the Vuelta is run routinely in August and September, but it was previously run in April and May. Another difference was the number of participants. Previously, there were very few, but the number doubled, with more internationally recognized competitors.

===1960–1970===

The prestige of the Vuelta increased, with more stars from the international cycling scene. During the late 1950s came the first successes in the overall standings of Italian and French riders. In the 1960s, they would also be joined by German and Dutch riders. In [[1963 Vuelta a España|1963]], [[Jacques Anquetil]] won the general classification, establishing himself as the first rider to win all three Grand Tours. Five years later, in [[1968 Vuelta a España|1968]], [[Felice Gimondi]] would do the same. [[Eddy Merckx]] ([[1973 Vuelta a España|1973]]), [[Bernard Hinault]] ([[1978 Vuelta a España|1978]], [[1983 Vuelta a España|1983]]), [[Alberto Contador]] ([[2008 Vuelta a España|2008]]), [[Vincenzo Nibali]] ([[2010 Vuelta a España|2010]]) and [[Chris Froome]] ([[2017 Vuelta a España|2017]]) later accomplished the same treble.

[[Antonio Karmany]] dominated the mountain classification for three consecutive years, then was replaced by Julio Jiménez, who won it for another three years.

In [[1965 Vuelta a España|1965]], [[Rik Van Looy]] became the first rider to repeat victory in the points classification. [[Jan Janssen]] in [[1968 Vuelta a España|1968]] and [[1974 Vuelta a España|1974]] [[Domingo Perurena]] would do the same, winning this classification twice.

During mid 60's the organizer of the Vuelta, ''El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco'', went through some financial problems that endangered the running of the competition. However, during that time all editions ended normally. In [[1968 Vuelta a España|1968]], the Vuelta was hit by a terrorist attack and other events, having to cancel the 15th stage. There were no fatalities.

===1970–1980===

The 70s began with the triumph of [[Luis Ocaña]], who was already established in the international squad as one of the greats of cycling.

[[José Manuel Fuente]], with victories in [[1972 Vuelta a España|1972]] and [[1974 Vuelta a España|1974]], became the third rider to win two Tours of Spain. A few years later, Bernard Hinault repeated the feat, which was also achieved by Pedro Delgado during the 1980s.

In [[1973 Vuelta a España|1973]], [[Eddy Merckx]] won the Vuelta by a landslide, winning six stages and all individual classifications with the exception of the mountains competition: he finished second.

[[Freddy Maertens]] in [[1977 Vuelta a España|1977]] echoed a similar domination to that demonstrated by Merckx a few years earlier, by winning thirteen stages and all individual classifications except the mountain.

In the mid-1970s, Andrés Oliva managed to earn the King of the Mountains title in three editions of the Vuelta.

Frenchman [[Bernard Hinault]] emerged in 1978 as an international cycling star. The same year, Hinault won his first Tour de France. The last stage of that edition also had to be suspended because of riots and barricades that prevented the normal course of it.<ref name=pc />

When 1979 ''El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco'' left as a sponsor of the race, the Vuelta was once again endangered. However, the company Unipublic took charge of the competition. This, coupled with increased advertising and the beginning of the broadcasts via television, further grew revenue and interest in the Vuelta.

===1980–1990===
[[File:Vuelta España 1989.jpg|thumb|left|[[Pedro Delgado]] (right) during the [[1989 Vuelta a Espana]]]]

In the early 1980s, two names stood out in the secondary classifications: José Luis Laguía, who won the mountain classification five times, and Sean Kelly, who won four times in the points classification.

In [[1982 Vuelta a España|1982]] came the first case of disqualification of the winner for doping. Two days after the end of the competition, [[Ángel Arroyo]] and a few other riders were disqualified, and Arroyo lost his victory to [[Marino Lejarreta]]. Arroyo appealed for a B test of his sample, which again tested positive. Arroyo was given a ten-minute penalty, and ultimately ended up placing thirteenth in the general classification.

Next year's edition was the first appearance of the [[Lagos de Covadonga]] as a final stage, an ascent that would become, over the years, the most iconic climb of the Vuelta a España. In [[1984 Vuelta a España|1984]] it played the issue in a race that ended with the smallest difference between the first and second place. [[Éric Caritoux]], a complete unknown until then, managed to win the Vuelta with only six seconds ahead of [[Alberto Fernández (cyclist)|Alberto Fernández]] in second place.

The end of the 80s was marked by the rise of Colombian cycling, which presented a strong challenge particularly in the mountain stages. Names such as [[Lucho Herrera]] (winner in [[1987 Vuelta a España|1987]]) or [[Fabio Parra]] (2nd in [[1989 Vuelta a España|1989]]) appeared in the last editions of the decade. One of the rulers at that time was also [[Pedro Delgado]], with two victories ([[1985 Vuelta a España|1985]] and [[1989 Vuelta a España|1989]]), a second place, and two third-place finishes. In the [[1988 Vuelta a España|1988 edition]], the start took place in the [[Canary Islands]] with 3 stages. The race was won by Irishman [[Sean Kelly (cyclist)|Sean Kelly]], his only overall victory in a Grand Tour.

===1990–2000===
[[File:Tony Rominger.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tony Rominger]], winner of three consecutive Vueltas between 1992 and 1994]]

The first half of the 1990s was marked by the dominance of Swiss rider [[Tony Rominger]], the first rider to win three times and win the race consecutively between 1992 and 1994.

The fiftieth edition of the Vuelta, which was held in [[1995 Vuelta a España|1995]], coincided with the change of dates. The Vuelta a España came to be held in September, and near the end of the season as the last of the three Grand Tours of the year. This was done to attract more high-profile riders, who before had preferred to ride the [[Giro d'Italia]] or the [[Tour de France]], which both took place very closely to the Vuelta's timeslot.<ref>{{cite web |title=Did the Vuelta's date change hurt the race? |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/did-the-vueltas-date-change-hurt-the-race/ |website=cyclingnews.com |access-date=19 July 2018 |date=27 February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Andrew Hood|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/05/news/the-giro-tour-double-cyclings-elusive-feat_284617|title=The Giro-Tour double: Cycling's elusive feat|date=13 May 2013|work=VeloNews|publisher=Competitor Group, Inc|access-date=23 June 2013|archive-date=14 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814094345/http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/05/news/the-giro-tour-double-cyclings-elusive-feat_284617|url-status=dead}}</ref> That year [[Laurent Jalabert]] won all classifications, the second time this happened in the Vuelta (Rominger had done so in 1993). The Frenchman was also a four-time winner of the points classification, matching the previous record set by Sean Kelly in the '80s.

In [[1997 Vuelta a España|1997]], the tour started for the first time in a foreign country. They began in [[Lisbon]], on the occasion of [[Expo '98]].

The ascent of the [[Alto de L'Angliru]] was part of a stage for the first time in 1999, with the victory of [[José María Jiménez]], four-time winner of the mountains classification. The reputation of the climb grew rapidly because of its demanding nature.

===2000–2010===
[[File:Heras.jpg|thumb|left|Roberto Heras wearing the leader's jersey at the [[2005 Vuelta a Espana]]]]

The first editions of the 2000s were marked by the dominance of [[Roberto Heras]], who achieved victory on three occasions, and in [[2005 Vuelta a España|2005]] did it for the fourth time. However, as happened with [[Ángel Arroyo]] in 1982, Heras was disqualified days after the end of the competition after testing positive in a doping test, this time for use of [[Erythropoietin|EPO]]. This positive development was later ratified by the counter-analysis and Heras was stripped of his title, benefiting the Russian cyclist [[Denis Menchov]] until 2012, when the Spanish Courts overturned the positive test and re-awarded the win to Heras. In 2006 [[Alexander Vinokourov]] won after a struggle with the then leader of the [[UCI Pro Tour]], [[Alejandro Valverde]]. In the 2007 edition Denis Menchov again clinched the overall victory by more than three minutes over the Spanish cyclists [[Carlos Sastre]] and [[Samuel Sánchez]]. In June 2008, French company [[Amaury Sport Organisation]] (ASO), who organize the [[Tour de France]], announced it had bought 49% of Unipublic.<ref>{{cite news|author=Cyclingnews.com|author-link=Cyclingnews.com|title=Tour de France owners ASO take full control of Vuelta|url=http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/amaury-sports-organization-buys-vuelta-stake-16840/|access-date=21 August 2015|work=BikeRadar|date=6 June 2008|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923191139/http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/amaury-sports-organization-buys-vuelta-stake-16840/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Contador2.jpg|thumb|right|Alberto Contador at the [[2008 Vuelta a España]]]]

In 2008, the winner was the Spaniard Alberto Contador, who also won [[2008 Giro d'Italia|that year's Giro d'Italia]], and became the first Spaniard to win all three Grand Tours. In 2009, the Vuelta began in Drenthe, Netherlands, continuing through Belgium and Germany. The final winner was Alejandro Valverde, who adopted a conservative stance without winning any stage and sprinting in the final meters to achieve bonuses. His main rivals were Samuel Sánchez (second place), [[Cadel Evans]] (third), [[Ivan Basso]], [[Robert Gesink]] and [[Ezequiel Mosquera]]. All of them suffered critical falls or punctures such as Evans in Monachil.

===2010–2018===
[[File:Stage 21 of the Vuelta a España 2013 in Madrid, Spain, September 15, 2013.jpg|thumb|left|The 21st and final stage of the [[2013 Vuelta a España]] on [[Paseo del Prado]] in [[Madrid]]]]

[[Vincenzo Nibali]] won the [[2010 Vuelta a España|2010 edition]] without winning a stage, thanks to consistent high placings on summit stage finishes and the race's two time trials.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/20092010/58/vuelta-espa-farrar-wins-nibali-day.html |title=Vuelta a España&nbsp;– Farrar wins on Nibali's day |date=19 September 2010 |work=Eurosport |access-date=2010-09-20}}</ref> He had inherited the race lead after [[Igor Antón]] was forced to abandon after crashing on stage 14. Though Nibali lost the race lead to [[Joaquim Rodríguez]], he later regained it on the final time trial. This marked his first grand tour victory.

The [[2011 Vuelta a España|2011 Vuelta]] was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]]. The 33-year absence from the region was due to fear of [[ETA (separatist group)|political protests]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta-heads-to-basque-country-after-33-year-absence |title=Vuelta heads to Basque Country after 33-year absence |date=9 September 2011 |publisher=Cyclingnews.com |access-date=9 September 2011}}</ref> The victory was originally awarded to [[Juan José Cobo]] who had a race-winning margin of just 13 seconds over Briton [[Chris Froome]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cobo-celebrates-his-vuelta-win-in-madrid|title=Cobo celebrates his Vuelta win in Madrid |date= 12 September 2011|work=Cycling News|access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> Neither rider had been marked as a pre-race favourite, and both had gone to the Vuelta as [[Cycling domestique|domestiques]] for their team leaders: Cobo for [[Denis Menchov]], and Froome for [[Bradley Wiggins]]; their team leaders originally finished 5th and 3rd respectively. The race was the first time that two Britons had stood on the podium of a Grand Tour, and Froome's second-place finish equalled the highest placing by a British rider in a Grand tour, Pippa York finishing second in the race in 1985 and 1986, until Wiggins won the [[2012 Tour de France|Tour de France the following year.]] In 2019 Cobo's win was annulled for doping violations, and the race awarded to Froome.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/14871144|title=Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins make Vuelta history|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=21 August 2012}}</ref>

In [[2012 Vuelta a España|2012]], the race was won for the second time by [[Alberto Contador]] of {{UCI team code|SAX|2012b}}, taking his first overall victory since returning from a doping suspension.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/9531812/Alberto-Contador-marks-his-return-from-drugs-ban-with-Tour-of-Spain-victory.html|title=Alberto Contador marks his return from drugs ban with Tour of Spain victory|date=9 September 2012|access-date=9 September 2012|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> Contador, who won the seventeenth stage of the race after a solo attack, won the general classification by 1' 16" over runner-up [[Alejandro Valverde]] of the {{UCI team code|MOV|2012}} team. Completing an all-Spanish podium,<ref>{{cite news|title=Alberto Contador wins second Vuelta a Espana title|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/19537111|work=[[BBC Sport]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=9 September 2012|access-date=9 September 2012}}</ref> [[Joaquim Rodríguez]] finished the race third overall, 21 seconds behind Valverde and 1' 37" behind Contador, having led the race for 13 days between the fourth and sixteenth stages. Rodríguez also achieved three stage victories.

The [[2013 Vuelta a España]] saw another shock result when the 41-year-old American [[Chris Horner]] defeated Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodríguez to become the first North American to win the Vuelta and the oldest rider to win a grand tour. In addition Horner clinched the race's [[Combination classification in the Vuelta a España|combination classification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/chris-horner-wins-2013-vuelta-espa |title=Chris Horner Wins the 2013 Vuelta a España |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=15 September 2013 |website=[[Bicycling (magazine)|Bicycling]]|access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref> The race was also notable for [[Tony Martin (cyclist)|Tony Martin]]'s all-day solo break on stage 6, when he broke away at the start and led for nearly the entire stage before being caught 20 metres from the finish line, placing seventh behind stage winner [[Michael Mørkøv]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/23888178 |title=Vuelta a Espana 2013: Tony Martin beaten in final 20m |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=29 August 2013 |website=[[BBC Sport]] |access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref>

In March 2014, ASO acquired full control of Unipublic, with both working together with the running of the race.<ref>{{cite news|last=MacMichael|first=Simon|title=Tour de France owners ASO take full control of Vuelta|url=http://road.cc/content/news/114674-tour-de-france-owners-aso-take-full-control-vuelta|access-date=21 August 2015|work=road.cc|publisher=Farrelly Atkinson|date=23 March 2014}}</ref>

The [[2014 Vuelta a España|2014]] race featured a field described as the strongest in a grand tour in recent memory, as a range of accomplished riders entered the race after suffering injuries or health problems earlier in the season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/08/23/eight-key-questions-ahead-2014-vuelta-espana/ |title=Eight key questions ahead of the 2014 Vuelta a Espana |last=Lowe |first=Felix |date=23 August 2014 |website=[[theroar.com]]|access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> Contador claimed his third Vuelta, Contador went into the race uncertain of his form after crashing out of the [[2014 Tour de France|Tour de France]] on the 10th stage, breaking his tibia. However, Contador found his form in the race earlier than expected, taking the red jersey on the 10th stage [[individual time trial]] and taking two key mountain stage wins on his way to victory. He won the race by 1' 10" over runner-up, Chris Froome. Like Contador, Froome also went into the race uncertain of his form after he crashed three times in two days during the Tour, leading to his withdrawal. However, Froome came to life during the third week, finishing second in three key mountain stages and taking time to move into second place overall. Alejandro Valverde completed the podium, finishing 40 seconds behind Froome and 1 minute and 50 seconds behind Contador.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/14/alberto-contador-wins-vuelta-espana-chris-froome|title= Spain's Alberto Contador secures his third Vuelta a España title|date=14 September 2014|work=Guardian |access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref>

The [[2015 Vuelta a España|2015]] edition saw another strong field contest the race, including the top four finishers at the [[2015 Tour de France]] (Froome, Valverde, Nibali and [[Nairo Quintana]]) and two of the podium finishers from the [[2015 Giro d'Italia]] in the form of Nibali's teammates [[Fabio Aru]] and [[Mikel Landa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/vuelta-a-espana/preview/ |title=Vuelta a España 2015 race preview |last1=Ryan |first1=Barry|date=24 August 2015 |website=[[cyclingnews.com]]|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> The early leaders of the race were [[Esteban Chaves]] and [[Tom Dumoulin]], who exchanged the leader's [[General classification in the Vuelta a España|red jersey]] several times during the first ten days of racing, with both riders winning [[glossary of cycling#summit finish|summit finishes]] in the first week. With the withdrawals of Chris Froome and the disqualification of Vincenzo Nibali,<ref>{{cite web|title=Chris Froome withdraws from Vuelta a España after stage 11 crash|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/03/chris-froome-vuelta-a-espana-crash|work=The Guardian|date=3 September 2015 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Vincenzo Nibali disqualified from Vuelta a España after taking car tow|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/23/vincenzo-nibali-tour-of-spain-cycling|work=The Guardian|date=23 August 2015 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref> Nibali's team mate [[Fabio Aru]] took over the race lead following the mountainous Stage 11, which took place entirely within Andorra. He kept his lead for five stages as the race entered the mountains of northern Spain, but lost it to Rodríguez on Stage 16. Dumoulin took the lead back on Stage 17&nbsp;– the race's only [[individual time trial]]&nbsp;– with Aru three seconds behind in second place. Aru [[glossary of cycling#attack|attacked]] throughout the final stages and, on the penultimate day, finally [[glossary of cycling#drop|dropped]] Dumoulin, who fell to sixth place overall. Aru therefore took the first Grand Tour victory of his career.<ref>{{cite web|title=Italian Fabio Aru wins Spanish Vuelta for 1st major victory|url=https://news.yahoo.com/italian-fabio-aru-wins-spanish-vuelta-1st-major-183414169.html|publisher=Yahoo|access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref>

Nairo Quintana won the [[2016 Vuelta a España|2016 edition]] ahead of Froome, with the Colombian [[Esteban Chaves]] finishing third.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/first-vuelta-a-espana-victory-for-nairo-quintana-weekend-wrap/ |title=First Vuelta a España victory for Nairo Quintana – Weekend Wrap|date=12 September 2016 }}</ref> Quintana had gained over {{frac|2|1|2}} minutes over Froome on Stage 15 when he and Contador attacked together from {{convert|10|km|abbr=off}} into the stage and blew the race apart, isolating Froome from his {{UCI team code|SKY|2016}} teammates. Whilst Froome fought back and managed to gain back nearly all he had lost in a dominant victory on the stage 19 individual time trial to Calp, Quintana was able to follow several attacks by Froome on Stage 20, the final mountain stage to Alto de Aitana, to secure overall victory by 1:23 over Froome. By doing so, Quintana became the second Colombian after [[Luis Herrera (cyclist)|Luis Herrera]] in [[1987 Vuelta a España|1987]] to win the Vuelta.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintana-winning-vuelta-a-espana-gives-confidence-for-tour-de-france/ |title = Quintana: Winning Vuelta a España gives confidence for Tour de France| date=10 September 2016 }}</ref>

The [[2017 Vuelta a España|2017 edition]] started in [[Nîmes]], France. It was the first time the race has started in France and only the third time it has started outside Spain, after [[1997 Vuelta a España|1997]] (Portugal) and [[2009 Vuelta a España|2009]] (Netherlands). The [[List of Vuelta a España general classification winners|general classification]] was won by [[2017 Tour de France]] champion [[Chris Froome]] from {{UCI team code|SKY|2017}}, ahead of [[Vincenzo Nibali]] of {{UCI team code|TBM|2017}}.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/40933339|title= Chris Froome wins Vuelta a España win: Stage-by-stage guide to the victory|date=10 September 2017|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref>	
Froome became the third rider to win the Tour-Vuelta double after [[Jacques Anquetil]] (1963) and [[Bernard Hinault]] (1978), and the first to do so since the Vuelta was moved to its current calendar position.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/10/chris-froome-wins-vuelta-a-espana-2017|title= Chris Froome seals Vuelta a España title to win historic Vuelta-Tour double|date=10 September 2017|work=Guardian|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref>	
Froome also won the [[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|points]] and [[Combination classification in the Vuelta a España|combination]] classifications, becoming the first rider to win three jerseys in a single Vuelta since [[Denis Menchov]] in 2007.

In [[2018 Vuelta a España|2018]], it was another British rider who won the race, in [[Simon Yates (cyclist)|Simon Yates]], riding for the [[Mitchelton–Scott (men's team)|Mitchelton–Scott]]. Aged 26 this was Yates' first grand tour win, and meant that for the first time all three grand tours in a year had been won by three different riders from the same country, after Froome won the [[2018 Giro d'Italia]] and [[Geraint Thomas]] won the [[2018 Tour de France]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/45543215 |title=Simon Yates: Vuelta a España winner says he will 'never be a superstar'|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref>

=== 2019–present===
[[File:Primoz Roglic. Vuelta ciclista a Eapaña 2020. Alto de la Garganta de Baños de Montemayor. (50576911892).jpg|thumb|left|[[Primož Roglič]] wearing the Red Jersey at the [[2020 Vuelta a España]]]]

The 2019 Vuelta was won by [[Primož Roglič]], who became the first Slovenian cyclist to win a Grand Tour.

The [[2020 Vuelta a España]] was originally scheduled to be held from 14 August to 6 September 2020. In April 2020, the [[2020 Tour de France]] was rescheduled to run between the 29 August and 20 September, having been postponed in view of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. On 15 April, UCI announced that both the [[2020 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]] and the Vuelta would take place in autumn after the [[2020 UCI Road World Championships]].<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/15/tour-de-france-rescheduled-nice-29-august-coronavirus-cycling| title= Tour de France saved by 29 August shift as Grand Tours jostle for space| work=[[The Guardian]]| date=15 April 2020| access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> On 5 May, UCI announced that the postponed Giro and the Vuelta would run between 3 and 25 October and between 20 October and 8 November, respectively.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/52275648| title= Tour de France to go ahead at end of August after coronavirus delay| work=[[BBC Sport]]| date=15 April 2020| access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| url= https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tour-de-france/new-tour-de-france-2020-dates-officially-confirmed-as-uci-reveals-new-calendar-454174| title= New Tour de France 2020 dates officially confirmed as UCI reveals new calendar| last=Ballinger| first=Alex| magazine=[[Cycling Weekly]]| date=15 April 2020| access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-reveal-new-mens-and-womens-post-covid-19-race-calendar/| title= UCI reveal new men's and women's post-COVID-19 race calendar| last=Farrand| first=Stephen| work=[[Cyclingnews.com|Cycling News]]| date=5 May 2020| access-date= 5 May 2020}}</ref> For the first time since [[1985 Vuelta a España|1985]], the race was not 21 stages long; instead, it was held in a reduced format over 18 stages.<ref name="shortened">{{cite news|url=https://www.lavuelta.es/en/news/2020/la-vuelta-20-will-consist-of-18-stages-and-will-take-off-from-the-basque-country/21706|title=La Vuelta 20 will consist of 18 stages and will take off from the Basque Country|work=Unipublic|date=29 April 2020|access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref> Roglic defended his title in a hard-fought race with [[Richard Carapaz]] which was among the closest Vueltas in history with the winning margin being only +0:24. The 2020 Vuelta had the smallest margin of victory since the [[1984 Vuelta a España]], which was the smallest margin of victory of any grand tour in cycling history. 

In 2021, Roglič returned in the [[2021 Vuelta a España]] and this time dominated the field to take his third consecutive victory in the race. He became only the third rider to win the race in three successive years. He won by 4' 42", the largest margin of victory since [[Alex Zülle]] won by 5' 07" in [[1997 Vuelta a España|1997]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vuelta a España|publisher=Bikeraceinfo.com|date=5 September 2021|url=https://bikeraceinfo.com/vuelta/vuelta.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626062337/http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/vuelta/vuelta.html|archive-date=2006-06-26|access-date=2023-08-27}}</ref>

The [[2022 Vuelta a España]] was won by the UCI World Road Race champion, Belgian [[Remco Evenepoel]] after starting in [[Utrecht]], [[Netherlands]]. The [[2023 Vuelta a España]] was won by [[Sepp Kuss]], who took the red jersey on stage 6 after winning from a breakaway. Kuss held on to win the general classification by 17 seconds over his teammate [[Jonas Vingegaard]]. Primoz Roglič, also a member of {{UCI team code|TJV}}, finished third, making the race the first time a single team swept the podium of a grand tour. The [[2024 Vuelta a España]] was won by Primož Roglič, who tied Roberto Heras's record for the most general classification wins.

The [[2025 Vuelta a España]] was won by [[Jonas Vingegaard]] for the first time. Vingegaard built an advantage early on in the race with two stage wins, before defending his lead despite illness in the second week. A win on the penultimate stage sealed his victory. Several stages of the race were affected by pro-Palestinian protests regarding the [[Gaza war]], and the inclusion of [[Israel–Premier Tech]] team, with multiple stages finishing prematurely, two without a stage winner. The final stage to Madrid, in particular, was cancelled upon reaching the circuit after several protesters invaded the road and knocked down the barriers.<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-14 |title=Vuelta a Espana: Final stage abandoned because of pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/articles/crl5dele2wro |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> 

==Classifications==
{{See also|Vuelta a España records and statistics#Jerseys per rider|Vuelta a España records and statistics#Jerseys per country}}

The overall leader at present wears a red jersey— the Spanish counterpart to the [[yellow jersey]] of the Tour de France. Other jerseys honor the best climber ([[King of the Mountains]], awarded a blue-on-white polka dot jersey) and leader of the [[points classification|points competition]] (for many years awarded a ''blue with yellow fish jersey'' sponsored by Spain's fishing and marine industry, but more recently given a green jersey).<ref name=jerseys />

Since the 1950 Vuelta, the leaders of the other race classifications have been permitted to wear identifying jerseys (previously, there was an official mountain classification, but no identifying jersey). For a long time, a blue jersey identified the leader of the points classification, green the leader of the mountain classification, and white the leader of the combination classification (until it ended in 2018). Recently, these other classifications have used jerseys more like those used at the Tour de France, with the points leader using a green jersey, the King of the Mountains using a polka dot jersey (albeit blue-on-white rather than red-on-white as at the Tour) and the best young rider a white jersey.<ref name=jerseys />

Usually, other [[cycling jersey]]s are awarded, such as for points leaders in the "''Metas Volantes''" (intermediate sprints) and for the combination category (a point system that honors the best rider with the combined total points in the best overall, points and mountains classifications).

===General Classification===
{{Further|List of Vuelta a España general classification winners}}
[[File:(Podio) Almeida entrega el primer premio de La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2019 03.jpg|thumb|right|Primoz Roglic, winner of the [[2019 Vuelta a Espana]]]]

The leader of the general classification is permitted to wear a jersey of a particular colour signifying the lead (maillot rojo or red jersey), as in the Tour de France (maillot jaune or yellow jersey) and the [[Giro d'Italia]] (maglia rosa or pink jersey).

The colour of the leader's jersey of the Vuelta a España has changed several times since the original tour. The organizers who revived the Vuelta following its multiple suspensions since 1936 usually changed the color of the jersey. The leader's jersey began as orange in 1935, became white in 1941, then back to orange in 1942. It was white with a horizontal red stripe from 1945 to 1950.

In 1955, when ''[[El Correo]]'' resurrected the Vuelta, yellow became the colour of the leader's jersey, the same color as in the Tour de France (known as the "Maillot amarillo").

Except for the 1977 Vuelta, when the jersey was orange, a yellow jersey was worn until 1998, when the color was deepened to a gold hue ("Jersey de Oro").

However, for the 2010 edition, the colour of the leader's jersey was changed to red.<ref name=jerseys>{{cite book
|last1=Mallon
|first1=Bill
|author-link=Bill Mallon
|last2=Heijmans
|first2=Jeroen
|title=Historical Dictionary of Cycling
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrdfuueq2CcC&pg=PA228
|access-date=18 April 2014
|year=2011
|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]
|location=Lanham, Maryland
|isbn=9780810873698
|page=228
}}</ref>

The record for most wins stands at four, and is jointly held by [[Roberto Heras]] of Spain, and [[Primož Roglič]] of Slovenia. Spaniards have dominated, winning 32 of the 79 editions of the Vuelta. France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Colombia, Ireland, Russia, Kazakhstan, the United States and Great Britain have also had first-place finishers.

===Mountains Classification===
[[File:Vuelta a España 2015 - 8ª Etapa Puebla de Don Fadrique - Murcia-94 (21006439822) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Omar Fraile]], winner of the mountains classification at the [[2015 Vuelta a España]]]]
{{Further|Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España}}

The mountains classification in the Vuelta a España is a secondary classification in the Vuelta a España. For this classification, points are given to the cyclists who cross the mountain peaks first. The classification was established in 1935, when it was won by Italian [[Edoardo Molinar]], and until 2005 the leader in the mountain classification wore a green jersey. In 2006, it became an orange jersey, and in 2010 it became white with blue dots.

Spaniard [[José Luis Laguía]] has won this classification a record five times, including three consecutive. Other cyclists who have won this ranking for three consecutive times were [[Antonio Karmany]], [[Julio Jiménez (cyclist)|Julio Jiménez]], [[José María Jiménez]], all Spaniards. Overall, the Spaniards have dominated this classification by 47 out of 68 times. In 2010, [[David Moncoutié]] considered retirement, but remained a professional cyclist to try to win his third consecutive mountains classification.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/moncoutie-prepares-for-historic-challenge|title=Moncoutié prepares for historic challenge|first=Hedwig|last=Kröner|date=15 January 2010|website=[[Cyclingnews.com]]}}</ref> In 2011, he became the first rider ever to win this award in four consecutive years.

As of 2010, the leader of the mountains classification is awarded a white jersey with blue dots.<ref name="rules2010">{{cite web|url=http://www.lavuelta.com/10/en/resultados/docs/reglamento.pdf|type=PDF|title=Specific Regulations 65 Edition Vuelta Spain|publisher=Unipublic|year=2010}}</ref>
The mountains jersey is third in the rankings of jerseys, behind the jersey for the [[general classification in the Vuelta a España|general classification]] and [[points classification in the Vuelta a España]] but before the [[combination classification in the Vuelta a España|combination classification]]; this means that if a cyclists leads both the general classification and the mountains classification, he wears the jersey for the general classification, and the mountains jersey is passed on to the second cyclist in that ranking.

The organisation of the Vuelta designates which climbs are given points, and in which category they fall. As of 2010, there are 5 categories: most points are scored on the Top [[Alberto Fernández (cyclist)|Alberto Fernández]], the highest point of the Vuelta.<ref name="rules2010" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Points distribution
|-
! Class !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6
|-
! Top [[Alberto Fernández (cyclist)|Alberto Fernández]]
| 20 || 15 || 10 || 6 || 4 || 2
|-
! High climb finish
| 15 || 10 || 6 || 4 || 2
|-
! First category
| 10 || 6 || 4 || 2 || 1
|-
! Second category
| 5 || 3 || 1
|-
! Third category
| 3 || 2 || 1
|}

If two or more cyclists have the same number of points, the cyclist who was first on the 'Top Alberto Fernandez' gets the higher ranking. If that does not solve the problem, the cyclists with the most high climb finishes wins gets the higher ranking. If that does not solve it, the cyclists with the most first category wins, and so on. If after the third category there is still a tie, the order in the general classification is used.

===Points Classification===
{{Further|Points classification in the Vuelta a España}}
[[File:Alejandro Valverde (2) - Vuelta a España 2013.jpg|thumb|[[Alejandro Valverde]], wearing the green jersey of [[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|points classification]] leader, at the [[2013 Vuelta a España]]]]

The points classification in the Vuelta a España is a secondary classification, in which the cyclists are ranked in a [[points classification]], based on the finish of each rider every stage.

For the first time, a points classification was calculated in 1945, sponsored by Pirelli. It was calculated as follows:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1945/03/22/pagina-1/656447/pdf.html|title=25000 pesetas de la Case Pirelli para la Vuelta Ciclista a España|language=es|date=22 March 1945|access-date=9 May 2014|work=El Mundo Deportivo|page=1}}</ref>
*The winner of a stage received 100 points, the second 99, and so on. If cyclists arrived in a group that was given the same time, they all received the same number of points.
*The first five cyclists in a stage received 12 points for every minute that they arrived ahead of the number six of the stage.
*For every point scored for the [[mountains classification in the Vuelta a España|mountains classification]], two points were given for this points classification.
*On intermediate sprints, points could be won: 8 for the winner, 6 for the second, 4 and 2 for the next.

Although the sponsor said that the classification was a great success,<ref name="elm1945">{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1945/06/02/pagina-11/33092141/pdf.html|title=V Vuelta Ciclista a España Pirelli|language=es|date=22 March 1945|access-date=9 May 2014|work=El Mundo Deportivo|page=1}}</ref> it did not return [[1946 Vuelta a España|the next edition]].

The next time that a points classification was calculated, was in 1955. Then it used the method of adding the stage ranks, in the same way as the [[points classification in the Tour de France]] did then; just like in the Tour de France, the leader of the points classification (with the fewest points) wore a green jersey. In 1963, the points system changed such that from now on points were given to the first cyclists to reach the finish, and the cyclist with the most points was the leader.

[[Sean Kelly (cyclist)|Seán Kelly]], [[Laurent Jalabert]] and [[Alejandro Valverde]], with 4 titles each, share the record of victories.

===Young rider classification===
{{Further|Young rider classification in the Vuelta a España}}
[[File:Vuelta espana 2022 CRI Elche Alicante-183 - 52325945824.jpg|thumb|right|[[Carlos Rodríguez (cyclist)|Carlos Rodríguez]] wearing the white jersey at the [[2022 Vuelta a España]]]]

The young rider classification is awarded based on the young rider with the lowest cumulative time (the same methodology as the [[General classification in the Vuelta a España|general classification]]). The jersey is also awarded alongside the [[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|points]] and [[Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España|mountains]] classifications.<ref name="intro">{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta-a-espana-introduces-young-rider-jersey-in-2019/ |title=Vuelta a Espana introduces young rider jersey in 2019 |date=18 December 2018 |publisher=Cycling News |access-date=December 18, 2018}}</ref>

In the 2017 and the 2018 editions, the winner only wore a red number bib as the white jersey was awarded to the winner of the [[Combination classification in the Vuelta a España|Combination classification]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Race regulations|url=http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/la-vuelta/2017/reglements/V17-Rules-en-v3.pdf|work=72nd Edition La Vuelta a España|publisher=Professional Cycling Council of the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation| place= San Sebastián de los Reyes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829193232/http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/la-vuelta/2017/reglements/V17-Rules-en-v3.pdf|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=live|access-date=29 August 2017|year=2017|ref={{harvid|''Race regulations''|2017}}}}</ref>

===Team classification===
{{Further|Team classification in the Vuelta a España}}
The team classification has been awarded since the race's inception in 1935.

===Defunct classifications===
{{Further|Combination classification in the Vuelta a España}}
The combination classification was calculated by adding the numeral ranks of each cyclist in the [[General classification in the Vuelta a España|general]], [[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|points]], and [[Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España|mountains]] classifications (a rider must have had a score in all classifications possible to qualify for the combination classification), with the lowest cumulative total signifying the leader of this competition.<ref>{{cite web |title=The jerseys of the Vuelta a España |url=https://inrng.com/2011/08/vuelta-espana-jerseys/ |website=inrng.com |access-date=26 June 2022 |language=en |date=18 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A beginner's guide to the Vuelta a España |url=https://www.yellowjersey.co.uk/the-draft/a-beginners-guide-to-the-vuelta-a-espana/ |website=Yellow Jersey |access-date=26 June 2022 |language=en |date=23 August 2018}}</ref>

From 2006 to 2018, the leader of the classification wore a white jersey; in 2005 it was a golden-green jersey.

The award strongly favoured top riders in the competition. Since its re-introduction in 2002, it was only won by someone other than the race's overall winner four times: in 2002, 2003, 2012, and 2015. On all four of those occasions, the winning cyclist was placed either second or third in the overall classification.

The combination classification was discontinued in 2019. Now, the white jersey is worn by the best young rider.<ref name="intro"/>

The Vuelta was the last major race to feature a combination classification.<ref>{{cite web |title=Javier Guillén: "Unipublic se opone a la |url=https://www.ciclismoafondo.es/competicion/entrevistas-ciclismo/javier-guillen-unipublic-se-opone-a-la-reduccion-de-dias-en-la-vuelta_37309_102.html |website=Ciclismo a Fondo |access-date=26 June 2022 |language=es |date=16 January 2014}}</ref>

==The race route and stages==
[[File:El angliru desde el Monsacro.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Alto de l'Angliru]]]]

The course typically includes up to three time trials, and a number of mountain stages. Since 1994, and often before (such as in the inaugural edition), the Vuelta finished in the Spanish capital, Madrid, although [[Bilbao]] (in the 1950s) and [[San Sebastián]] (in the 1970s) were long both recurring finish cities. Behind Madrid, three cities share second place for the most Vuelta departures: [[Gijón]], Bilbao, and one time finish city [[Jerez de la Frontera]]. In 1997, the Vuelta started abroad for the first time, in [[Lisbon]], Portugal. The first ever Vuelta to start outside the [[Iberian Peninsula]] took place in 2009, when the Dutch city of [[Assen]] hosted the prologue of the [[2009 Vuelta a España|64th Vuelta]]. The 2025 Vuelta started in Turin, Italy on 23 August, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 August 2025 |title=La Vuelta: Info with three days to go |url=https://www.lavuelta.es/en/news/2025/info-with-three-days-to-go-2/46289 |access-date=3 September 2025 |website=La Vuelta Espagne}}</ref>

[[Lakes of Covadonga|Lagos de Covadonga]] is one of the most important climbs in the modern history of the ''Vuelta''. The road that leads to the lakes starts at Covadonga and is 12.6 kilometres long at an average gradient of 7.3% (height gain: 1056 m).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071006083512/http://www.lavuelta.com/07/ingles/recorrido/etapa4.html?e=4]</ref> The most demanding section is ''La Huesera'', 7 kilometres from the top of the climb, with an average gradient of 15% during 800 meters. It was featured for the first time in [[1983 Vuelta a España|1983]] with the victory of [[Marino Lejarreta]], who was in a fierce battle with [[Bernard Hinault]] for overall victory. This was the same Vuelta that saw Hinault, [[Greg LeMond]] and [[Laurent Fignon]] all riding on the same team. Stage 7 of the [[2023 La Vuelta Femenina]] ended at Lagos de Covadonga, with Dutch cyclist [[Demi Vollering]] placing first.

In [[1999 Vuelta a España|1999]], for the first time, the course crossed the [[Alto de L'Angliru]] in [[Asturias]], which climbs 1,573 meters (5,160 feet) over 12.9&nbsp;km (8&nbsp;mi.) with grades as steep as 23.6 percent (at ''Cueña-les-Cabres''), making it one of the steepest climbs in Europe. Credit for the discovery of this climb and its addition to the Vuelta goes to Miguel Prieto.

===Start and finish of the Vuelta===
{{main|List of Vuelta a España Gran Partidas}}
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
;Starts
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!City
!Hosted
!First start
!Last start
|-
|1||[[Madrid]] || 10 || 1935 || 1959
|-
|rowspan=3|2||[[Bilbao]] || 4 || 1955 || 1958
|-
|[[Gijón]] || 4 || 1960 || 2003
|-
|[[Jerez de la Frontera]] || 4 || 1979 || 2014
|-
|rowspan=2|5||[[Benidorm]] || 3 || 1964 || 2011
|-
|[[Málaga]] || 3 || 2000 || 2018
|-
|rowspan=10|7||[[Barcelona]] || 2 || 1962 || 2023
|-
|[[Vigo]] || 2 || 1965 || 2007
|-
|[[Murcia]] || 2 || 1966 || 1999
|-
|[[Almería]] || 2 || 1971 || 1974
|-
|[[Fuengirola]] || 2 || 1972 || 1975
|-
|[[Valladolid]] || 2 || 1985 || 1994
|-
|[[A Coruña]] || 2 || 1989 || 1993
|-
|[[Valencia]] || 2 || 1996 || 2002
|-
|[[Granada]] || 2 || 2005 || 2008
|-
|{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Lisbon]] || 2 || 1997 || 2024
|-
|rowspan=31|16||[[San Sebastián]] || 1 || colspan=2|1961
|-
|[[Zaragoza]] || 1 || colspan=2|1968 
|-
|[[Badajoz]] || 1 || colspan=2|1969
|-
|[[Cádiz]] || 1 || colspan=2|1970
|-
|[[Calp]] || 1 || colspan=2|1973
|-
|[[Estepona]] || 1 || colspan=2|1976
|-
|[[Dehesa de Campoamor]] || 1 || colspan=2|1977
|-
|[[La Manga]] || 1 || colspan=2|1980
|-
|[[Santander, Spain|Santander]] || 1 || colspan=2|1981
|-
|[[Santiago de Compostela]] || 1 || colspan=2|1982
|-
|[[Almussafes]] || 1 || colspan=2|1983
|-
|[[Palma de Mallorca|Palma]] || 1 || colspan=2|1986
|-
|[[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]] || 1 || colspan=2|1988
|-
|[[Benicàssim]] || 1 || colspan=2|1990
|-
|[[Mérida, Spain|Mérida]] || 1 || colspan=2|1991
|-
|[[Zaragoza]] || 1 || colspan=2|1995
|-
|[[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] || 1 || colspan=2|1998
|-
|[[Salamanca]] || 1 || colspan=2|2001
|-
|[[León, Spain|León]] || 1 || colspan=2|2004
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Assen]] || 1 || colspan=2|2009
|-
|[[Seville]] || 1 || colspan=2|2010
|-
|[[Pamplona]] || 1 || colspan=2|2012
|-
|[[Vilanova de Arousa]] || 1 || colspan=2|2013
|-
||[[Marbella]] || 1 || colspan=2|2015
|-
|[[Cenlle]] || 1 || colspan=2|2016
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nîmes]] || 1 || colspan=2|2017
|-
|[[Torrevieja]] || 1 || colspan=2|2019
|-
|[[Irun]] || 1 || colspan=2|2020
|-
|[[Burgos]] || 1 || colspan=2|2021
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Utrecht]] || 1 || colspan=2|2022
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Turin]] || 1 || colspan=2|2025
|}
{{Col-break}}
;Finishes
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!City
!Hosted
!First finish
!Last finish
|-
|1||[[Madrid]] || 55 || 1935 || 2025
|-
|2||[[Bilbao]] || 13 || 1955 || 1970
|-
|3||[[San Sebastián]] || 6 || 1972 || 1978
|-
|4||[[Santiago de Compostela]] || 3 || 1993 || 2021
|-
|rowspan=3|1||[[Miranda de Ebro]] || 1 || colspan=2|1976
|-
|[[Palazuelos de Eresma]] || 1 || colspan=2|1983
|-
|[[Salamanca]] || 1 || colspan=2|1985
|-
|}
{{Col-end}}

====Starts abroad====
Most stages are in mainland Spain, although since the mid-1990s it has become common to visit nearby countries: Portugal, Andorra and France. It has also taken place in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.<ref>{{cite web |title=La Historia de la Vuelta - Año 2009 |url=http://historia.lavuelta.com/es/anio.asp?a=2009 |website=Vuelta a España |access-date=13 May 2022 |language=es}}</ref> Five editions of the Vuelta so far have started outside Spain, with a 6th scheduled in 2025 and a 7th in 2026.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/12/tour-de-france/foreign-grand-tour-starts-are-big-business_269064 |title=Foreign grand tour starts are big business |magazine=[[VeloNews]] |date=2012-12-15 |access-date=2015-07-08 |archive-date=2014-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721071009/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/12/tour-de-france/foreign-grand-tour-starts-are-big-business_269064 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Nimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2017-vuelta-a-espana-to-start-in-nimes/ |title= 2017 Vuelta a Espana to start in Nîmes |first=Alasdair |last=Fotheringham |work=[[Cycling News]] |date=3 September 2016 |access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> A start abroad in [[Utrecht]], Netherlands was planned for the [[2020 Vuelta a España|2020 edition]], however this was cancelled in light of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Spain]] and a revised route starting in [[Irun]] was used in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Long|first=Jonny|date=2020-07-24|title=Vuelta a España 2020 route: Details of the revamped 18-stage Grand Tour|url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/vuelta-a-espana/vuelta-a-espana-route-2-442583|access-date=2020-09-20|website=Cycling Weekly|archive-date=2020-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808032408/https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/vuelta-a-espana/vuelta-a-espana-route-2-442583|url-status=dead}}</ref> Instead, the 2022 Vuelta a España started in Utrecht.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Foreign starts of the Vuelta
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | City
! scope="col" | Ref(s).
|-
| [[1997 Vuelta a España|1997]]
| {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]]
| [[Lisbon]]
|
|-
| [[2009 Vuelta a España|2009]]
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]]
| [[Assen]]
|
|-
| [[2017 Vuelta a España|2017]]
| {{flagicon|France}} [[France]]
| [[Nîmes]]
| <ref name=Nimes/>
|-
| [[2022 Vuelta a España|2022]]
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]]
| [[Utrecht]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-26 |title=2022 Vuelta a España to start in the Netherlands |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2022-vuelta-a-espana-to-start-in-the-netherlands/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=cyclingnews.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[2024 Vuelta a España|2024]]
| {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]]
| [[Lisbon]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Fotheringham |first=Alasdair |date=2023-09-17 |title=Vuelta a España confirms 2024 race start in Lisbon |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vuelta-a-espana-confirms-2024-race-start-in-lisbon/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=cyclingnews.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[2025 Vuelta a España|2025]]
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]]
| [[Turin]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Farrand |first=Stephen |date=2024-12-02 |title=2025 Vuelta a España: Italian start includes stage 2 mountain finish to Limone Piemonte |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2025-vuelta-a-espana-italian-start-includes-stage-2-mountain-finish-to-limone-piemonte/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=cyclingnews.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[2026 Vuelta a España|2026]]
| {{flagicon|Monaco}} [[Monaco]]
| 
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Cotton |first=Jim |date=2024-05-16 |title=Vuelta a España Set for 'Big Start' out of Monaco in 2026 |url=https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/vuelta-a-espana/vuelta-a-espana-set-for-big-start-out-of-monaco-in-2026/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Velo}}</ref>
|}

==Stage wins==

===Stage wins per rider===

17 riders have won 10 or more individual stages.

Active riders are in '''bold'''.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Rank
!Name
!Country
!Wins
|-
|1 || [[Delio Rodríguez]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 39
|-
|2 || [[Alessandro Petacchi]] || {{flag|ITA}} || 20
|-
|rowspan=2|3 || [[Rik Van Looy]] || {{flag|BEL}} || 18
|-
|| [[Laurent Jalabert]] || {{flag|FRA}} || 18
|-
|5 || [[Sean Kelly (cyclist)|Sean Kelly]] || {{flag|IRL}} || 16
|-
|6 || '''[[Primož Roglič]]''' || {{flag|SLO}} || 15
|-
|7 || [[Gerben Karstens]] || {{flag|NED}} || 14
|-
|rowspan=2|8 || [[Freddy Maertens]] || {{flag|BEL}} || 13
|-
|| [[Tony Rominger]] || {{flag|SUI}} || 13
|-
|rowspan=3|10 || [[Domingo Perurena]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 12
|-
|| [[Marcel Wüst]] || {{flag|GER}} || 12
|-
|| [[Alejandro Valverde]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 12
|-
|rowspan=2|13 || [[Julián Berrendero]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 11
|-
|| [[Augustin Tamames]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 11
|-
|rowspan=3|15 || [[Eddy Planckaert]] ||{{flag|BEL}}||10
|-
|| [[Roberto Heras]] || {{flag|ESP}} || 10
|-
|| '''[[John Degenkolb]]''' || {{flag|GER}} || 10

|}

===Stage wins per country===

{{main|Vuelta a España records and statistics#Stage wins per country}}

==Records==

* Most Vuelta a España victories: [[Roberto Heras]], [[Primož Roglič]], 4

* Most Vuelta a España consecutive victories: [[Tony Rominger]], [[Roberto Heras]], [[Primož Roglič]], 3

* Most Vuelta a España Stage wins: [[Delio Rodríguez]], 39
* Most stage wins in one edition: [[Freddy Maertens]] in [[1977 Vuelta a España|1977]], 13
* Most [[individual time trial]] wins: [[Abraham Olano]], [[Alex Zülle]], and [[Tony Rominger]], 6
* Most number of victories by country: Spain, 32
* Most days as leader: [[Alex Zülle]], 48
* Most mountains classification victories: [[José Luis Laguía]], 5
* Most points classification victories: [[Sean Kelly (cyclist)|Sean Kelly]], [[Laurent Jalabert]] and [[Alejandro Valverde]], 4
* Most number of intermediate sprints classification victories: Miguel Ángel Iglesias, 5
* Largest margin of victory: [[Delio Rodríguez]] over [[Julián Berrendero]] in [[1945 Vuelta a España|1945]], 30' 8"
* Smallest margin of victory: [[Éric Caritoux]] over [[Alberto Fernández (cyclist)|Alberto Fernández]] in [[1984 Vuelta a España|1984]], 6 seconds
* Most participations: [[Íñigo Cuesta]], 17 (1994–2010).
* Most consecutive participations: [[Íñigo Cuesta]], 17 (1994–2010).
* Most Vueltas finished: [[Federico Echave]], 14 (1982–1995), and [[Íñigo Cuesta]], 14 (1994, 1996–99, 2001–03 and 2005–10)
* Most consecutive Vueltas finished: [[Federico Echave]], 14 (1982–1995).
* Fewest participants: [[1941 Vuelta a España|1941]], 32
* Greatest number of participants: [[2002 Vuelta a España|2002]], 207
* Fastest average speed: [[2001 Vuelta a España|2001]], 42.534&nbsp;km/h
* Slowest average speed: [[1941 Vuelta a España|1941]], 26.262&nbsp;km/h
* Longest edition: [[1941 Vuelta a España|1941]], 4,442&nbsp;km
* Shortest edition: [[1963 Vuelta a España|1963]], 2,419&nbsp;km
* Youngest general classification winner: [[Angelino Soler]] in [[1961 Vuelta a España|1961]], age {{Age in years and days|1939|11|25|1961|5|11}}
* Oldest general classification winner: [[Chris Horner]] in [[2013 Vuelta a España|2013]], age {{Age in years and days|1971|10|23|2013|9|15}}

==Related events==
Between [[2015 La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta|2015]] and [[2022 Challenge by La Vuelta|2022]], a women's race (Challenge by La Vuelta) was held in conjunction with the final day(s) of the Vuelta as part of the [[UCI Women's World Tour]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2015-12-08 |title=In the News: Vuelta gets green light for women's race - VeloNews.com |url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/news/news-vuelta-gets-green-light-womens-race_360735 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208114538/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/news/news-vuelta-gets-green-light-womens-race_360735 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=Velo News}}</ref> Initially a one day race, it became a stage race from 2018 onwards, with the 2022 edition featuring 5 stages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official route of the CERATIZIT Challenge by La Vuelta 2022 |url=https://www.challengebylavuelta.com/en/overall-route |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=www.challengebylavuelta.com |language=en}}</ref> The race was criticised for its lack of difficulty, with winner [[Annemiek van Vleuten]] stating "if you look at the [2022] course you can conclude that the Vuelta ''(sic)'' is not yet ready to call itself a grand tour".<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Is the Vuelta a España Femenina in 2023 the right thing for the women's peloton? |url=https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/is-the-a-vuelta-a-espana-femenina-in-2023-the-right-thing-for-the-women-s-peloton |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Rouleur |language=en}}</ref>

From 2023, [[La Vuelta Femenina]] – a 7-day stage race in the UCI Women's World Tour – was held in May.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author1=Matilda Price |date=2022-06-17 |title=Four events added to Women's WorldTour calendar for 2023 |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/four-events-added-to-womens-worldtour-calendar-for-2023/ |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=cyclingnews.com |language=en |quote=As well as the addition of races, there has been some reshuffling of the calendar, most notably the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta - registered in 2023 as ‘La Vuelta Femenina’ - has moved to May, and will be seven stages long.}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Cycling archives race|574}}
* [http://www.sportlistings.com/Road-Cycling/UCI-World-Tour/Vuelta-a-Espana/Vuelta-a-Espana-l1138.html Sportlistings]

{{Vuelta a España}}
{{Grand Tour}}
{{UCI World Tour}}
{{Road bicycle racing}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuelta A Espana}}
[[Category:Vuelta a España| ]]
[[Category:Cycle races in Spain|1]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1935]]
[[Category:UCI ProTour races]]
[[Category:UCI World Tour races]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in Spain]]
[[Category:Grand Tour (cycling)]]
[[Category:Annual sporting events in Spain]]
[[Category:September in sports]]
[[Category:Challenge Desgrange-Colombo races]]
[[Category:Super Prestige Pernod races]]