Robledo de Chavela > Bola del Mundo 161km The battle for the red jersey comes down to this, it feels like a long time since the top 2 on GC were only 44 seconds apart heading into the final mountain stage of a grand tour. The stage ends with the climb, La Bola del Mundo, which translates as the ball of the world. This was last used in 2012, Denis Menchov taking the win, but the one I remember was 2010 when Ezequiel “Big Gear Grinder” Mosquera won stage, and Nibali took home the red jersey. The TT showed that...

Rueda > Guijuelo 162km To sprint or not to sprint, that is the question.

Québec > Québec 216km Friday night racing is back! That’s right folks, get the TV on and make sure it’s close to the fridge. Those of us in Europe rarely get to enjoy a race on a Friday night, I’ll be enjoying every last drop. Hold onto your hats, there’s a route change in Québec! Last year, it was 204km with 2967m of climbing, this time it’s 216.4km and 2642m of elevation gain. Put simply, the circuit is easier, but the race is longer. 

Valladolid > Valladolid 27.2km ITT A huge day in the fight for red, the riders have a 27.2km ITT ahead of them. Just one little rise and only 137m of climbing, this is one for the specialists and a day where Pidcock, Hindley, Pellizzari, Riccitello and Gall will be very nervous. They’ll obviously lose huge time to Vingegaard and Almeida, but what is going to happen between the big 2?

O Barco de Valdeorras > Alto de El Morredero 144km Another stage disrupted by protestors, the organisers continue to remain committed to the race continuing to Madrid (which seems a long way off) and IPT are equally committed to staying in the race. I doubt both things will be able to happen, which is a shame for Matthew Riccitello, but I’m not sure which one will budge first. IPT dropping out the race seems the most logical, they won’t be kicked out as that sets a precedent for other sports, but if enough pressure is applied, I think they’ll eventually...

Poio > Mos. Castro de Herville 173km The final week kicks off with a stage which shouldn’t be underestimated. This finale was used as stage 20 back in 2021, when Clément Champoussin somehow managed to win from the break, despite being joined by the top GC riders inside the final kilometre. You might remember that was the stage Miguel Ángel López quit due to missing a split in the GC group, it was a proper moment of him throwing his toys out the pram.

A Veiga/Vegadeo > Monforte de Lemos 168km The sprinters will dream this is a stage for them, but the advantage surely lies with the breakaway riders, climbing from the gun will make it incredibly hard for anyone to control the opening hour. 

Avilés > La Farrapona 136km Well then, we’ve got ourselves a bike race. It feels like a very long time since we last had a proper fight to win the Vuelta, I’m really looking forward to the next week of racing. Almeida was at his brilliant best today, pushing Vingegaard to his limit, just imagine if he’d had better preparation heading into the race. He’s now 46s behind Vingegaard, it’s now up to UAE to make the race and see if they can start to chip away at that advantage.

Cabezón de la Sal > L’Angliru 203km The Angliru. Some people within cycling use the word mythical far too often, but I will use it to describe the Angliru, it truly is a mythical climb. Strap yourself in, this is a stage you need to watch, one that will go a long way to decide who’ll wear the red jersey in Madrid. The final 55km is about as hard as you’ll see in any race.

Laredo > Los Corrales de Buelna 143km Protests disrupted today’s stage in Bilbao, who knows what’s going to happen during the rest of the race. Stage 12 looks like a classic breakaway day, will UAE take another win? Just 143km, this will fly by.