The 2026 Vuelta a España will put the Pyrenees at the centre of its opening week

The 2026 Vuelta a España will put the Pyrenees at the centre of its opening week, with stages in the French Pyrenees and Andorra scheduled on consecutive days. Tadej Pogačar’s return to the Spanish Grand Tour adds another major storyline to the race, while Primož Roglič’s participation remains uncertain. The 81st edition of La Vuelta a España will take place from 22 August to 13 September, covering 3,275 kilometres over 21 stages. The race will start in Monaco and finish in Granada, with the route passing through France and Andorra before continuing across Spain. The Pyrenees will feature almost immediately. After the opening time trial in Monaco on 22 August and the second stage from Monaco to Manosque in France on 23 August, the peloton will reach the mountains. On 24 August, stage 3 will take the riders from Gruissan in the Aude region to Font-Romeu, covering 166.7 kilometres and bringing the race into the French Pyrenees. The following day, 25 August, the Vuelta will move into Andorra for stage 4. The route will start and finish in Andorra la Vella, covering 104.9 kilometres in what will be the race’s first stage entirely within the principality. The back-to-back mountain stages mean that the Pyrenees will provide an early test for the riders targeting the general classification. The short Andorran stage, in particular, is likely to encourage aggressive racing, with the riders having little time to recover after the Font-Romeu stage. After leaving Andorra, the race will continue through Catalonia. On 26 August, stage 5 will start in Falset in the Costa Daurada and finish in Roquetes, in the Terres de l’Ebre. One of the biggest stories ahead of the race is the return of Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian has been confirmed for the 2026 Vuelta, seven years after his previous participation. He will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG, alongside João Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres, Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira. Pogačar arrives at the Vuelta after another exceptional season and will be one of the clear favourites for the overall victory. Primož Roglič’s participation remains uncertain. The Slovenian, a four-time Vuelta winner, is recovering from a training crash and his participation in this year’s race has been described as 50-50. His absence would remove one of the most experienced contenders from the opening battle in the Pyrenees and would also rule out, at least for 2026, his attempt to become the first rider to win the Vuelta five times. Other riders expected to play an important role in the general classification include João Almeida, Richard Carapaz, Felix Gall, Mattias Skjelmose and Felix Lipowitz. The final hierarchy, however, is likely to become clearer only once the race reaches the first major climbs. The 2026 route is particularly demanding for climbers, with six mountain stages and seven uphill finishes. The race therefore offers plenty of opportunities for the strongest riders to create differences in the mountains. For Andorra, the fourth stage will be particularly significant. Unlike a stage that simply crosses the country, the Andorra la Vella – Andorra la Vella route will take place entirely within the principality, putting Andorra’s mountain roads and landscapes at the centre of the international broadcast.The post The 2026 Vuelta a España will put the Pyrenees at the centre of its opening week first appeared on All PYRENEES.