2026 Vuelta a España: Preview of Stage 2: A long way to the first sprint

​Key information on Stage 2 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

• Sunday, 23 August: Monaco – Manosque
• 214.3 kilometres, 3,020 metres of elevation gain (hilly)
• Mountain climbs: KM 32.3 (Category 3), KM 92.4 (Category 3)
• Intermediate sprint: 166.2 km
• Bonus sprint: KM 166.2
• Start: 12.42 pm, Finish: approx. 5.16 pm
• Live updates and results

The route of the second stage of the Tour of Spain

After a full day in the Principality, Monaco will once again host the start of the second stage. The finish is in Manosque, in the heart of Provence. The stage covers 214 kilometres – meaning that the shortest stage of the Tour of Spain at the start is immediately followed by the longest.

The route heads west, initially following the Côte d’Azur through Nice. However, as soon as the route veers slightly inland, the terrain becomes hillier. There aren’t any major mountains to contend with – the route features just two Category 3 climbs – but the terrain remains undulating right up to the finish, resulting in a total climb of just over 3,000 metres. Even over the final five kilometres, riders will have to climb another 100 metres, which works out at an average gradient of around two per cent.

Manosque was a regular stop on the Paris–Nice route in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, it is the Tour de la Provence that visits the town time and again. The most recent winner there was Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) in 2025. However, the town, with a population of 23,000, has also twice been a stage of the Tour de France, serving as both a start and finish location.

A sporting analysis of Stage 2 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

3,000 metres of elevation gain is a lot, but it’s spread over a long distance. When the route heads uphill, it never gets particularly steep; if anything, you could describe it as rolling hills. The final five kilometres of the day, as well as a twelve-kilometre section following the intermediate sprint around 20 kilometres from the finish, have a gradient of around 2.5 per cent – almost qualifying as a ‘false flat’ – and won’t faze any of the sprinters in the peloton, especially not at the start of the tour.

What’s more, the few sprinters who have entered the Vuelta are, for the most part, ‘strong climbers’ anyway. Leading the way is Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek), but there are also riders such as Orluis Aular (Movistar Team) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis). The two sprinters with what are likely to be the highest top speeds – Jordi Meeus (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) and Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – will certainly be giving it their all here too. And then there are all sorts of all-rounders with fast finishes, such as Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte (both Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS), who will be ready should things turn out to be a little tougher than expected.