The Vuelta a España 2026, taking place between August 22 and September 13, with Tadej Pogacar as favourite, has announced the modification of one of the stages, due to several damage caused by landslides in Sierra Nevada, in Granada, last February.
The originally planned ascent of Alto de Hazallanas on Stage 20, the penultimate stage of the race on September 12, and the one in which the race winner and final positions may be decided, will be replaced by the climb to Puerto de El Duque, making it the first time La Vuelta climbs that peak.
The organisation promises that this change "preserves the essence, difficulty and challenge of the penultimate stage, with a route profile that is almost identical to the original", and will share its final section with the ascent initially planned, and with distance virtually unchanged. It will be the first time since 2017 that La Vuelta visits Sierra Nevada.
It will end the following day, Sunday September 13, in Granada, instead of the usual finish in Madrid, which is hosting the F1 Grand Prix that same weekend.
