2026 Vuelta a España: Preview of Stage 9: Mountain finish in a restricted military zone

​Key information on Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

• Sunday, 30 August: Villayoyosa – Alto de Aitana
• 187.4 kilometres, 5,166 metres of elevation gain (mountain finish)
• Mountain climbs: km 36.7 (Category 2), km 73.9 (Category 1), km 90.7 (Category 3), km 121.8 (2nd class), km 139.9 (2nd class), km 187.4 (1st class)
• Intermediate sprint: KM 139.9
• Bonus sprint: KM 134.6
• Start: 12.26 pm, Finish: approx. 5.14 pm
• Live updates and results

The route of Stage 9 of the Tour of Spain

On the Costa Blanca, the day before the first rest day, the toughest stage of this Vuelta so far awaits – one that can certainly hold its own against many others in this race. Stage 9 features almost 5,200 metres of climbing, 1,200 of which are on the final climb to the Alto de Aitana (Category 1) alone.

First, however, the stage begins in Villayoyosa, another first in the history of the Vuelta. From there, the route climbs for the first few kilometres after the start and then heads north over undulating terrain. After just under 37 kilometres, the first mountain classification (2nd category) is reached. The route continues for a further 30 kilometres or so in the same direction before turning south again at Pego. This is marked by the second of the day’s six mountain classifications at the Puerto de El Miserat (1st category). An average gradient of ten per cent awaits the riders here over a distance of 5.2 kilometres.

The route continues over the Puerto de Tollos (3rd category) to the Puerto de Tudons (2nd category). At the summit, the route veers sharply to the right. A loop via the Puerto de Benifallim (2nd category), as well as Relleu and Sella, then forms the approach to the final climb, the Alto de Aitana (1st category), which begins just before Sella. Riders must tackle 22 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.8 per cent, with the second half being significantly steeper than the first.

The first few kilometres are still part of the Puerto de Tudons, which the peloton is now approaching from a different direction. At the point where the route previously took a detour, the riders will now tackle the side road leading up to Aitana. This is not normally accessible, as the road leads to a radar station formerly used by the military, which is now the finish line for Stage 9 of the Vuelta.

A sporting analysis of Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a España

Stage 9 is unlikely to hold any secrets for most of the professionals in the peloton. For many teams, the mountains of the Costa Blanca have now become a regular feature of their winter training programme. Between Denia and Alicante, the off-season is teeming with riders looking to get in shape for the coming season. Most of them will be familiar with the climbs not only from watching them on TV, but also from having clocked up plenty of training kilometres there.

Without Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG), who was forced to withdraw from the race the day before following a crash, the Vuelta will take on a completely new character. There will no longer be a team capable of controlling the race all day and reining in breakaways. Especially as UAE are likely to be out for blood following the withdrawal of their leader. A stage win by Joao Almeida, Jay Vine or Pavel Sivakov would come as no great surprise

Meanwhile, however, Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) will be looking at this final climb in a different light. Suddenly, all three have something to lose again – namely, the overall Vuelta victory. Taking fewer risks will be the order of the day, with attacks only coming just before the finish. After all, on a final climb like the Aitana in particular, taking risks could prove costly.