Start in Monaco and finish at the Alhambra: first surprises of the Vuelta 2026

The Vuelta 26 will start in the Principality of Monaco with an individual time trial of 9.6 kilometers, but the big news of the next edition could be in its conclusion. According to various sources, the race will not finish in Madrid, breaking with the usual tradition, and is heading towards a finish in Andalusia that will cap off a route marked by the high mountains of Granada.

The Vuelta 26 will kick off with a time trial in Monaco and all signs point to a historic finish at ¿the Alhambra?

The Principality of Monaco and Unipublic have presented the details of the first stage at One Monte-Carlo, with an iconic start at the Casino Square and a finish located on Boulevard Albert I, the same straight where the Formula 1 Grand Prix ends. The event was attended by H.S.H. Prince Albert II, members of the Monegasque government, and Javier Guillén, director of La Vuelta.

The inaugural route is designed as a global showcase of the Principality: Casino Square, Hotel Paris, Café Paris, Fontvieille port, the Chapiteau du Cirque, which the cyclists will pass through, the Louis II Stadium, and a finish on the usual Formula 1 track. A fast and urban profile that will set the tone for an ambitious edition.

RECOMENDADO

From professional bodybuilder to founding a legendary brand of modern mountain biking

Garmin releases a software update with significant improvements in the general health section

Lazer presents the Impala KinetiCore, the first helmet with DualCore for direct and rotational impacts

This quick inflation valve continues to gain ground: Zefal presents its adapter for the Clik Valve system

Countersteering, braking and cornering: the basics to improve your cornering skills

The Cyclocross World Cup kicks off this week in Tabor

«Through this sporting event, we have the opportunity to show the world another facet of our country ...  Hosting La Vuelta is much more than a celebration of sport», stated Prince Albert II. Christophe Mirmand highlighted that Monaco is “300 days away from writing a new page in its intense and brilliant sports history,” while Guillén emphasized that “starting La Vuelta in this setting is an honor and a guarantee of success for everyone.”

The activities will kick off on August 20 with the team presentation and will continue on Sunday, the 23rd, with the neutral start of the second stage from the Plaza del Palacio Princier, before leaving the country through the Exotic Garden towards France.

The information revealed indicates that the organization plans to hold at least four stages outside of Spain to facilitate logistics between Monaco, France, and the first major Pyrenean ports, with Andorra as one of the key points of the start. The goal is to chain high mountains from very early on and consolidate an initial block of enormous demand.

While the start is already confirmed, the end of La Vuelta 26 is also beginning to take shape. According to several media outlets, the race will not finish in Madrid in the next edition, something that has not happened since 2021, when it concluded in Santiago due to the Xacobeo Year. Although initially La Vuelta considered the option of finishing in the Canary Islands, that idea has been discarded.

Everything now points to a conclusion in Andalusia, a strategic decision linked to the design of the route and consistent with the focus on the mountains that will mark the next edition. 

The last two stages, the routes are still to be confirmed, will be through the capital of Granada, and local media in the Nazarí capital assure that the initial idea of the organizers and the city is for the race to culminate at the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra.

The organization will present the complete route on December 17 in Monaco, where it will be officially confirmed if the anticipated Andalusian finish will definitively close La Vuelta 26.