La Vuelta a España 2023 
AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 17

The Vuelta a España – cycling’s final Grand Tour of the year – was launched in 1935, aiming to emulate the growth and prestige of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia

The 2023 race begins in Barcelona and concludes with the traditional final circuit along the main
arteries of the Spanish capital, Madrid

Elite Club
Spanish rider Roberto Heras – who finished in Top 6 each year between 1997 and 2005 – is only man to have conquered La Vuelta four times. Alberto Contador’s 2014 win – his third overall – provided most recent home victory 

                      Vuelta tours
4 Roberto Heras ESP
2000, 03, 04, 05 
9

3 Tony Rominger SUI
1992, 93, 94   
6

3 Alberto Contador ESP
2008, 12, 14 
5

3 Primoz Roglic SVN
2019, 20, 21
44

TITLES BY COUNTRY
Spain 32
Slovenia 3
Britain 3
Germany 3
Switzerland 5
Italy 6
8 Others: Colombia, Netherlands 2, United States, Ireland, Russia, Kazakhstan 1
Belgium 8
France 9

Total 60 different winners 



HIGHEST NUMBER OF DAYS IN LEADER’S JERSEY
Alex Zülle SUI (1993, 96, 97, 2000) 48
Primoz Roglic SVN (2019, 20, 21, 22) 37
Roberto Heras ESP (2000, 02, 03, 04 05) 34
Gustaaf Deloor BEL (1935, 36) 32
Delio Rodriguez ESP (1941, 45, 46, 47) 32
Tony Rominger SUI (1992, 93, 94)  32


La Vuelta: Start to finish
1935: Clemente Lopez Doriga and Juan Pujol, director of Informaciones newspaper, launch Vuelta a España.
Gustaaf Deloor (right) of Belgium is first winner

1936: Deloor defends title in longest winning finishing time of 150 hours and seven minutes – race consists of 21 stages and is over 4300 km long

1937-50: Race held only spasmodically during Spanish Civil War, World War II and afterwards

1941: Only Spanish and Swiss riders compete as Julian Berrendero becomes first home winner

1945 
Points classification introduced, awarded to most consistent sprinters

1955-56
Race returns after 5-year gap – Jean Dotto and Angelo Conterno are first winners from France and Italy

1963
acques Anquetil (right) wins title to become first rider to win Vuelta, Tour de France and Giro d’Italia

1984: Eric Caritoux defeats Alberto Fernández Blanco by six seconds, smallest margin of victory in Vuelta history

1987: Luis Herrera charges to victory becoming first South American cyclist to win Grand Tour title

1994
Swiss Tomy Rominger becomes first man to win three consecutive Vueltas

1995: 50th edition marks move to September date to avoid clash with other Grand Tours

1997

Tour departs from Lisbon, Portugal – first time race starts outside of Spain 

2005
Roberto Heras (right) becomes first four-time winner

2013: American Chris Horner, 41, becomes oldest winner

2021: Primoz Roglic claims third title as race finishes at Santiago de Compostela

2023 Route

Stage 
Stage start 
Stage finish
Individual time trial 
Mountain stage 
Flat stage
Team TT
Transfer
Rest day

1 START: Aug 26, Barcelona
La Cruz de Linares
Allande
Ribadesella
Altu de l’Angliru
Liencres Playa
Lekunberri
Sauveterre- de-Béarn
Larra-Belagua 
Col du Tourmalet
Andorra La Vella
Arinsal 
Súria
Formigal
Pamplona 
La Laguna Negra
Lerma
La Bañeza 
Valladolid
Iscar Guadarrama
Hippodromo de la Zarzuela
Manzanares el Real
Ólvega
Zaragoza
Mataró
Barcelona
Tarragona
Morella
Alto de Javalambre
Burriana
La Vall d’Uixó
Utiel
Oliva
Xorret de Catí
Dénia
Collado de  la Cruz de Caravaca
Cartagena
21 FINISH: Sep 17, Madrid

STAGE BREAKDOWN
Stage Aug  km
1    26   14.8
2    27   181.8
3    28   158.5
4    29   184.6
5    30   186.2
6    31   183.1
     Sep
7    1    200.8
8    2    165.0
9    4    184.5
10   5     25.8 
11   6    163.2
12   7    150.6
13   8    134.7
14   9    156.2
15  10    158.3
16  12    120.1 
17  13    124.4
18  14    178.9
19  15    177.1
20  16    207.8
21  17    101.1


2023 edition visits France and Andorra, and features seven mountain stages, four flat stages and two flat stages with high altitude finishes, plus team and individual time trials

Total race distance 3157.5km

2022 winner
Remco Evenepoel
Belgian rider faces tough competition from 3-time champion Primoz Roglic (below left), winner of 2023 Giro d’Italia, and Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (right), both of Team Jumbo-Visma
 
La Roja
Race leader’s red jersey introduced in 2010, inspired by success of Spain’s World and European Cup-winning football team – La Roja. Earlier colour variations included inaugural orange jersey of 1935
  
Cibeles Palace
Iconic backdrop for winner’s podium in Madrid

Source: La Vuelta

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