The route presentation of the Vuelta a Espana 2023 took place at the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona on 10 January. It is the 78th edition of the Tour of Spain. The course of the third Grand Tour of the road racing season is also predestined for climbers this year - there are a total of nine mountain finishes.
Highlights include the 13th stage, which ends on the Col du Tourmalet in France, and the 17th stage with the finish on the Alto de l'Angliru. "The Tourmalet is a milestone in the history of our race and, together with the Angliru, will be the big colossus of this year. We are still looking for new summits to show great cycling. And in this search we have discovered new destinations such as Larra-Belagua, Cruz de Linares and Bejes, as well as mountain passes such as Larrau and Issarbe," says Vuelta boss Javier Guillen.
Vuelta a Espana 2023 with an individual time trial
However, there is only one individual time trial over 25 kilometres. Four sections are marked as purely flat stages. However, the one or other hilly stage could also fall prey to the fast men.
The race starts on 26 August in Barcelona with a team time trial over 14.8 kilometres. The Catalan metropolis is the starting point of the Vuelta for the second time since 1962. After the second stage also ends in Barcelona, the third stage heads to Andorra, where the first mountain finish of the 2023 Tour of Spain is likely to provide a pre-selection in the battle for overall victory.
Exciting low mountain stage
From Andorra it's back to the coast. A bunch sprint is likely on stages four and five, despite several mountain classifications. The next day, the next mountain finish awaits at the Javalambre observatory, before the sprinters are likely to be in charge again in Oliva. Stage 8 is peppered with one mountain classification of the 3rd, three of the 2nd and one of the 1st category. The summit of the last steep climb to Xorret de Cati is only reached three kilometres before the finish - a mid-mountain stage with the potential to surprise.
Before the first rest day, the southernmost point of the Vuelta a Espana 2023 is reached on the 180.9 hilly kilometres between Cartagena and Caravaca de la Cruz. The section ends with the arrival on the Alto Caravaca de la Cruz, a category 2 mountain.
Characteristic mountain finish
The first rest day will follow on 4 September and a transfer from the south to the Castilla y León region, where the only individual time trial of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana will be held around Valladolid. The 25 kilometres should suit the strong rouleurs in order to gain time on the climbers. The course only includes one short climb.
Stage 11 leads to Laguna Negra. A mountain finish that has characterised the Tour of Spain in recent years: a long, flat run-up and a final climb at the end - this time in the 1st category.
The next section with the finish in Zaragoza should normally be something for the sprinters. However, the wind could also play a role on this day and put one or two of the classification riders at a disadvantage.
Vuelta a Espana stops at the Col du Tourmalet
Cycling fans should mark 8 September 2023, a Friday, in bold in their calendars. It's the 13th stage to France on the Col du Tourmalet. The 134.7 kilometres between Formigal. Huesca la Magia and the finish at an altitude of 2115 metres is a rollercoaster ride with hardly a single flat metre. Puerto de Portalet (3rd category), Col d'Aubisque (category "Especial" - comparable to the Hors Categorie at the Tour de France), Col de Spandelles and the ascent to the Tourmalet (category Especial) set the stage for a preliminary decision at the 78th Vuelta a Espana.
The next section, which also leads partly through France, is no less difficult. Between Sauveterre-de-Bearn and Larra-Belagua, Col Hourcere (Especial category), Puerto de Larrau (Especial category) and the final climb to Puerto de Belagua (1st category) await over 156.2 kilometres. With the exhaustion of the Tourmalet stage in the legs, this section could create large gaps in the overall classification.
Tour of Spain spectacle on the Alto de L'Angliru
The following Sunday stage to Lekunberri offers a good chance for a breakaway group on hilly terrain. This is followed by the second rest day of the Vuelta a Espana 2023. The 16th stage on Tuesday, 12 September, starts right by the sea at Liencres Playa and ends with another mountain finish in Bejes. Geographically speaking, we are in Cantabria and Asturias in northern Spain on this stage. The finale has it all. After 115 kilometres of a flat start, the route climbs steeply uphill for five kilometres with ramps of up to 14 percent towards the finish.
Tuesday offers a first taste of what awaits the riders on the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2023: the arrival on the Alto de l'Angliru. What Alpe d'Huez is for the Tour de France and Mortirolo for the Giro d'Italia, Angliru and the lakes of Covadonga are for the Vuelta. Since its first ascent in the Tour of Spain in 1999, the barren summit in Asturias has become one of the symbols of the Vuelta. The climb, which is around 13 kilometres long, is tackled from La Vega and at first glance does not seem particularly difficult with an average gradient of around ten per cent. However, the last six kilometres or so lead over an asphalt goat path that climbs at well over 20 per cent in places. It is not uncommon for riders to fit particularly low gear ratios for this. The Angliru is once again likely to play a decisive role in the Vuelta victory in 2023.
New mountain finish in Asturias
After the Angliru spectacle on Wednesday, another tough climb awaits on Thursday in the mountains of Asturias. One 3rd, one 2nd and three 1st category climbs are on the programme. The final climb, the Puerto de La Cruz, is new to the Vuelta and will be ridden over once 25 kilometres before the finish. Classification will also take place on this day.
The 177.1 kilometres of the 19th stage between La Baneza and Iscar are almost flat as a plate and are likely to end with a bunch sprint before there is the last chance to make a difference in the overall standings.
Vuelta a Espana 2023: Grand finale on the 20th stage
The 20th stage is the grand finale for the classification riders at the Vuelta a Espana 2023, covering 208.4 kilometres from Manzanares El Real to Guadarrama, a small town around 50 kilometres north of Madrid. The profile features ten 3rd category mountain classifications and over 4000 metres in altitude. It is also the longest stage of the 2023 Tour of Spain and the succession of many short climbs is reminiscent of the charter characteristics of an Ardennes classic such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège and is very unusual for a Grand Tour - especially just before the end. The route planners have come up with something new here. Now it's up to the riders to fill this stage with life. It has great potential.
On Sunday 17 September, the Vuelta a Espana 2023 will finish in Madrid after 21 stages. The finale in the Spanish capital is traditionally a day of celebration before the sprinters make their final appearance.
Vuelta a Espana 2023: All stages at a glance
Vuelta 2023 - the TOUR Liveblog
Women's Vuelta 2023
In 2023, there was also another women's Vuelta, which took place for the ninth time and was reorganised. As in the previous year, Annemiek van Vleuten secured victory.
The list of winners of the men's Vuelta a Espana
- 1935 Gustaaf Deloor (Belgium)
- 1936 Gustaaf Deloor (Belgium)
- 1941 Julian Berrendero (Spain)
- 1942 Julian Berrendero (Spain)
- 1945 Delio Rodridguez (Spain)
- 1946 Dalmacio Langarcia (Spain)
- 1947 Edward Van Dijck (Belgium)
- 1948 Bernardo Ruiz (Spain)
- 1950 Emilio Rodriguez (Spain)
- 1955 Jean Dotto (France)
- 1956 Angelo Conterno (Italy)
- 1957 Jesus Lorono (Spain)
- 1958 Jean Stablinski (France)
- 1959 Antonio Suarez (Spain)
- 1960 Frans De Mulder (Belgium)
- 1961 Angelino Soler (Spain)
- 1962 Rudi Altig (Germany)
- 1963 Jacques Anquetil (France)
- 1964 Raymond Poulidor (France)
- 1965 Rolf Wolfshohl (Germany)
- 1966 Francisco Gabica (Spain)
- 1967 Jan Janssen (Netherlands)
- 1968 Felice Gimondi (Italy)
- 1969 Roger Pingeon (France)
- 1970 Luis Ocana (Spain)
- 1971 Ferdinand Bracke (Belgium)
- 1972 Jose Manuel Fuente (Spain)
- 1973 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1974 Jose Manuel Fuente (Spain)
- 1975 Augustin Tamames (Spain)
- 1976 Jose Pesarrodona (Spain)
- 1977 Freddy Maertens (Belgium)
- 1978 Bernard Hinault (France)
- 1979 Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
- 1980 Faustino Ruperez (Spain)
- 1981 Giovanni Battaglin (Italy)
- 1982 Merino Lejarreta (Spain)
- 1983 Bernard Hinault (France)
- 1984 Eric Caritoux (France)
- 1985 Pedro Delgado (Spain)
- 1986 Alvaro Pino (Spain)
- 1987 Luis Herrera (Colombia)
- 1988 Sean Kelly (Ireland)
- 1989 Pedro Delgado (Spain)
- 1990 Marco Giovannetti (Italy)
- 1991 Melchor Mauri (Spain)
- 1992 Tony Rominger (Switzerland)
- 1993 Tony Rominger (Switzerland)
- 1994 Tony Rominger (Switzerland)
- 1995 Laurent Jalabert (France)
- 1996 Alex Zülle (Switzerland)
- 1997 Alex Zülle (Switzerland)
- 1998 Abraham Olano (Spain)
- 1999 Jan Ullrich (Germany)
- 2000 Roberto Heras (Spain)
- 2001 Angel Luis Casero (Spain)
- 2002 Aitor Gonzalez (Spain)
- 2003 Roberto Heras (Spain)
- 2004 Roberto Heras (Spain)
- 2005 Roberto Heras (Spain)
- 2006 Alexander Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)
- 2007 Denis Menchov (Russia)
- 2008 Alberto Contador (Spain)
- 2009 Alejandro Valverde (Spain)
- 2010 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)
- 2011 Chris Froome (Great Britain)
- 2012 Alberto Contador (Spain)
- 2013 Chris Horner (USA)
- 2014 Alberto Contador (Spain)
- 2015 Fabio Aru (Italy)
- 2016 Nairo Quintana (Colombia)
- 2017 Chris Froome (Great Britain)
- 2018 Simon Yates (Great Britain)
- 2019 Primoz Roglic (Slovenia)
- 2020 Primoz Roglic (Slovenia)
- 2021 Primoz Roglic (Slovenia)
- 2022 Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)
