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The 2021 La Vuelta Route: Nine Summit Finishes and a Finale in Santiago de Compostela

By Monica Buck

The Spanish Grand Tour will start with an individual time trial in Burgos on Saturday, August 14 and finish with another ITT in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday, September 5. The route is 3,417 km and will not feature the capital of Madrid. The 2021 edition will not leave the Spanish borders due to complications with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The time trial around Burgos will start next to the famous cathedral and finish there as well. But it features a hill, which might indicate who is in good form. Then on stage three we have the first summit finish. This is the Picón Blanco, featured in the recent Vuelta a Burgos. Then we head down the coast with numerous summit finishes including Alto de La Montana de Cullera and the Aldo de Velefique.

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The occasional flat stages will offer the riders a few moments to breathe and the sprinters time to shine. But the climbs are the main attraction of the Spanish Grand Tour. We’ll see the Pico Villuercas, the Lagos de Covadonga, Alto d’El Gamoniteiru and more.

The final road stage is described by the organisers as a mini-classic and features five short categorised climbs and 11 uncategorised climbs. Then it will all end in the famous pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela with another individual time trial.

There will be bonus sprint points at the top of some key climbs. The organisers made this change to make the race even more exciting.

Honestly, we can’t wait.