2026 Vuelta a España: Preview of Stage 21: From the supermarket to the castle with a touch of Montmartre

​Key information on Stage 21 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

• Sunday, 13 September: Granada – Granada
• 112 kilometres, 1,217 metres of elevation gain (hilly)
• Mountain stages: none
• Intermediate sprint: 92.4 km
• Bonus sprint: KM 92.4
• Start: 4.20 pm, Finish: approx. 7.06 pm
• Live updates and results

The route of the 21st stage of the Tour of Spain

The 2026 Vuelta will finish in Granada – perhaps the toughest of the 81 editions in the race’s history to date, not only because of the route but also due to the intense heat. The Andalusian city, with a population of just over 230,000, is the eighth city – after Madrid, Santiago de Compostela, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Miranda de Ebro, Salamanca and Jerez de la Frontera – to host the race’s finish.

To round off the event, there’s another 112-kilometre stage with 1,200 metres of climbing on the programme. The race starts at a supermarket run by the main sponsor, Carrefour, in the south of the city. From there, the route winds its way through the southern districts of Granada, before taking a wide arc through the western, gently undulating countryside surrounding the city and then, from the north-west, heading back towards the centre.

After 70 kilometres, the riders will cross the finish line for the first time. Immediately afterwards, they will tackle the first of four ascents to the Alhambra city fortress, in whose shadow the Vuelta winners will later be crowned. This Moorish-style World Heritage Site presents the riders with a climb of just over two kilometres, averaging a gradient of more than six and a half per cent, with the first section being slightly more challenging.

The finale is therefore reminiscent of that of the Tour de France, with the newly added Montmartre climb. Whilst there are no cobblestones in Granada, even without them the climb is a touch tougher than the one in the centre of Paris. After 13 kilometres, the riders are back at the finish line. The remaining three laps are each three kilometres shorter, but they still include the decisive section.

A sporting analysis of Stage 21 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

The Vuelta organisers will only decide at short notice whether the times from the final stage will have any bearing on the overall classification. A procedure similar to that used in the Tour de France is under consideration, where the final laps up Montmartre only counted towards the stage victory.

However, even if points were to be awarded right up to the finish on the final day, the gaps in the general classification are simply too large for any changes in the top positions to be likely. Whilst Primož Roglič (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) in second and third place respectively, there are only 29 seconds separating them, but the course, with its short climbs, would suit the Slovenian better than Gall, who is not at all comfortable on this sort of terrain.

And so, ultimately, the only question remaining is: who will win the stage in Granada? And the answer to that, too, seems quite straightforward: Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). Whether on completely flat terrain or hilly terrain, the Briton has faced hardly any competition, unless a genuine mountain stage was on the programme. Had his team-mate Wout van Aert not gone all out the day before, he too would have been a strong contender. As it stands, however, it seems clear that the Belgian will find himself in a supporting role, countering attacks and setting up his sprinter for the final metres.