Vuelta
España Femenina
Seven-stage Women's WorldTour Grand Tour, May 3-9 2026. The 12th edition tackles 819.5km through Galicia, León, and Asturias with no time trial but a brutal back-to-back finale: stage 6 summit finish at Les Praeres.Nava and stage 7 atop the legendary Alto de l'Angliru. One of the toughest routes in race history.
Where to watch
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The route, day by day
QUEEN
Who to watch & what to watch for
Top Starters
Jerseys
Fight for the overall
Narratives to watch
- First-ever finish atop l'Angliru in the Women's Vuelta — historic moment for women's cycling on Spain's most mythical climb.
- Vollering vs Reusser rematch after their 2025 Grand Tour duels; FDJ-Suez again organising the race around their leader.
- Anna van der Breggen's likely final Grand Tour appearance — the retired-then-returned legend chasing one more major result.
- Sarah Gigante's first full Vuelta start at WorldTour level — Australian climbing prodigy targeting a top-5 GC.
- Galician opening week with no flat finish day puts pressure on the GC from the gun — hard to control, easy to lose minutes.
Form book & lore
Established in 2015 as Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, expanded to a multi-day race in 2023 and to Women's WorldTour status. Annemiek van Vleuten won the first three multi-day editions; Demi Vollering won in 2024 and 2025.
When to tune in
Watch every kilometre of stage 6 (Les Praeres) and stage 7 (Angliru) — the entire GC will be decided across those two summit finishes. Stages 1-5 are likely break-friendly transitional days but contain enough lumps that crosswinds or splits could cost a contender minutes.