The 2025 Vuelta a España will feature 10 summit finishes, an individual time trial, and a team time trial across three weeks next summer, it was announced on Thursday evening.
The Spanish Grand Tour begins in Italy, with a start in Turin and a trip into France before traversing to northern Spain, where the majority of the race takes place, apart from a trip into Andorra too.
The 80th edition of the race begins on 23 August, and ends on 14 September in Madrid, after a tough race with very few flat days. It appears tailor made for a rider like Tadej Pogačar.
The key climbs include the Alto de l'Angliru, back for the third time in five years, and the 10th time overall, with the vertiginous Bola de Mundo also featuring on stage 20, just outside of Madrid, a sting in the tail.
The race begins with a series of hilly stages in northern Italy, before a stage into France over the Col du Lautaret on stage four. It then resumes in Spain with a 20km team time trial on stage five, before the first proper summit finish on stage six, to Pal in Andorra. Stage seven brings another category one summit finish. This will likely be where the general classification tone is set.
Stage nine and ten are yet more category one finishes, before a stage around Bilbao similar to the opening day of the 2023 Tour de France. L'Angrilu, the mythical 12.5km goat track climb, comes on stage 13, and is followed by another category one finish on stage 14.
After the second rest day, there is another cat one finish to stage 17 around Ponferrada, the hosts of the 2014 World Championships, before a 26km flat individual time trial on stage 18, in Valladolid, which should suit Pogačar or defending champion Primož Roglič.
The finalé to the race is a second categoria especial summit finish on the penultimate stage, to Bola del Mundo, the highest point of the race. Madrid's flat final stage will be a welcome relief to any fast men left.
As we get closer to the third Grand Tour of the year, check back to see our full run-through of the race course.
Vuelta a España 2025 stage table
Vuelta a España 2025 full route map
