Velogames Preview – Spain 2026

The final grand tour of 2026 is upon us, and the next three weeks will bring the usual annual scramble for elusive stage wins and potential breakthrough performances. We have many contenders on both those fronts. Five world tour teams are without a grand tour win so far this year, and two of those are yet to win at all at world tour level in Movistar and Picnic. The latter has only won once all year full stop. Standing in their way is arguably the greatest cyclist of all time, Tadej Pogačar. He and the likes of Mads Pedersen and the Visma duo of Matthew Brennan and Wout Van Aert could hardly offer a sterner test for any hopeful stage hunters. Nevertheless, there is bags of ambition and hunger on the start line in Monaco, and all we can do is sit back and enjoy the chaos. Let’s get into it!

The Route

We begin this year in Monaco before hopping over the Pyrenees and then hugging the Mediterranean coastline into the south of Spain. We avoid the North West of the country entirely and even give Madrid a very wide berth. The finish this year is in Granada. Before we get there, we have two individual time trials, including the opening stage in Monaco; four ‘flat’ stages, but that’s flat by Vuelta standards; seven medium stages; two in the high mountains; and six summit finishes. There’s only one ESP climb this year, and it comes on stage 20. There should be enough rampas inhumanas before this to get the blood flowing. Here are the stages that should offer up the most fun.

Stage One: A 9.4km individual time trial around Monaco opens things up, and it uses the same roads as the grand prix. The course deviates slightly through a tunnel and then through a circus building. So it’s completely bonkers in true Vuelta style!
Stage Two: The riders then go straight into 3000m of climbing so this stage could either suit some of the faster men or a very early breakaway.
Stage Three: We see the first of the summit finishes as early as stage three, but it’s slightly tame and I could see a group try and fight it out, behind Pogačar I mean.
Stage Four: A short, but brutal stage over the ramps of Andorra (below).

Stage Six: This should be a really fun stage finishing in the hills west of Benicàssim. The final category one climb tops out 20km from the line and includes a steep section of gravel mixed with concrete slabs before the summit.
Stage Seven: Another summit finish with plenty of climbing leading up to it. Wonder if the sprinters are having a good time.
Stage Nine: A monster of a day with nearly 5000m of climbing and finishing up a gargantuan 19km climb.

Stage Ten: The first of the stages that can be called ‘flat’.
Stage Twelve: The biggest day of the second week, with five categorised climbs culminating in two huge category one behemoths.

Stage Fourteen: This one finishes up an 11.6km 8% climb.
Stage Eighteen: After two of the flattest days kick off the final week, we arrive at the second of our two individual time trials. This one is longer at 32.5km and includes a couple of little climbs to ensure it’s not just a watt fest.
Stage Nineteen: The finale of this stage is probably the second hardest of the race. A 20km climb with plenty of double digit gradients.
Stage Twenty: The queen stage with three category one climbs and the finale is the only ESP climb of the race. 8.43km at 10% average. This one will be carnage.

Stage Twenty One: Not your usual sprint procession to finish things off. This is more akin to the final stage of the Tour with four ascents of a 3km 5% climb in Granada before a flat finish.

Velogames Category Guide

So here we are for the final time in 2026! At the head of the pack in the stage race championship for our league is AwakenTheBacon, who is sitting 4th after Pologne. It’s tight up there and one good result in Spain could bring home the bacon for Bacon. In the triple crown ranking, we have Mark Chettle, who is sitting plum at the top with a near 2000 point lead. No pressure Mark! So who to pick for the Vuelta then? Well there’s one obvious pick and then a whole host of potentials to complement him. As usual there aren’t many sprinters and the climber category is absolutely stacked. Time to dissect it all.

All Rounders

On the face of it, this is about finding a rider to accompany the Slovenian legend. My two cents are that it’s between Skjelmose and Vine, depending on budget constraints. Nordhagen and Tuckwell offer an enticing alternative for those who enjoy a gamble. Below these guys are a mix of hopeful stage hunters for 6 credits. There’s Ben Tulett, who will like the punchy finishes and breakaways; the Red Bull rider Finn Fisher-Black, who had an excellent Pologne; and the Movistar duo of Romeo and Castrillo, who both like a time trial and should have some freedom. I reckon these sixes all score points, but I think a small upgrade to Vine or Tuckwell at 8 makes more sense, or even Skjelmose at 12. It all depends how much of your cash you spend elsewhere really.

Climbers

What did I tell you about this being a stacked category? Lots of climbers end up scoring well at the Vuelta. Six scored over 1000 points last year, and there are at least three strong contenders for the podium in this list. Below these guys are a few interesting prospects, but I don’t see huge points from anyone not mentioned above. The surprise package at 6 credits may be 20 year old Jarno Widar. He has serious punch and will be motivated to make an impression on his grand tour debut.

Sprinters

The top scorers in this category should come from this list. If none of these guys grab your attention though, then Laurance might be an interesting pick, or maybe Mulubrhan. I’m tempted with Brennan, Aular, or De Schuyteneer myself. Mads takes too many credits away from the GC men.

Unclassed

At the time of writing, the game is lacking the latest Q36.5 riders and Ineos have yet to announce their roster. So I’ll be updating this tomorrow evening with some more riders and hopefully more 4 credit options for me to recommend. So watch this space.
The space has been watched and all the riders are in. I’ve added in Ivo Oliveira and Marcel Camprubí for 6 credits and Roman Ermakov for 4 credits. Josh Tarling has made the incredibly difficult decision to rider the Vuelta and he is in the game for 6 credits. Who knows what’s going on in his head, but I for one will be cheering through the roof for him in the time trials.

The only thing left to say is to wish the Tarling family all the best after the events of last week. My thoughts are with them, especially Josh, in what must be a devastating time for them. Stay safe everyone.