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Vuelta a España 2017: Schedule, map, route, highlights, and more

The 2017 Vuelta a España is here, and we have all the information you need to follow along, with daily results and updates.

by James Brady

Aug 19, 2017, 12:00 PM UTC

Le Tour de France 2017 - Stage Twenty One

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Running from Saturday, Aug. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 10, the Vuelta a España will consist of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,324.1 kilometers for some of the absolute best cyclists in the world. Following the Tour de France, the Vuelta is one of the biggest races in the sport and also one of the toughest.

There will be six flat stages, eight hill stages, five mountain stages, an individual time trial and a team time trial stage. The individual trial is a 40.2-kilometer run, while the team trial is over 14.7 kilometers. There are 50 summits throughout the Vuelta, which also includes a pair of rest days.

Beginning outside of Spain for just the third time in its history, the route will begin with the team time trial in the French town of Nimes. It will end nearly a month later in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Chris Froome, as usual, is the man to watch. He sealed his fourth Tour de France title in July and is trying to become just the third rider ever, after Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil, as the only riders to win both races in the same calendar year. Froome has been the runner-up at the Vuelta three times, including last year.

Also notable is Alberto Contador, who is racing for the final time of his career. He’s a seven-time Grand Tour champion, and while he’s likely not competing for the win here, he’s definitely someone to watch. Fabio Aru and Johan Esteban Chaves are two other names to keep an eye on.

Route

Route map taken from the official Vuelta website

It’s a climb-heavy route, featuring nine summit finishes, though the first doesn’t come until Stage 5’s two-kilometer climb to Ermita Santa Lucia. Two road stages follow the beginning time trial, with a third stage that includes two category-one climbs.

Stage 8 ends on the Xorret de Cati (3.8 kilometers at 11 percent), while Stage 9 includes the Cumbre del Sol (3.6 kilometers at 10 percent). Following the rest day, into the Vuelta’s second week, the Calar Alto (15.5 kilometers at 5.9 percent) and La Pandera (12 kilometers at 7.3 percent) loom as big challenges.

The climb to Pico Veleta, the highest paved road in Europe, will take place on Sierra Nevada on Stage 15. The peloton will go 30 kilometers with an average gradient of 5.8 percent in that climb, and it’s one of the most extreme of the Vuelta. The Stage 20 climb of Alto de l’Angrliru comes shortly after the 40-kilometer time trial to Logrono and a pair of summit finishes at Los Machucos and Santo Toribio.

The Alto de l’Angliru is a climb of 12.2 kilometers with an average gradient of 10.2 percent.

Viewing information

Watching the Vuelta a España in the United States will require access to the Olympic Channel from your cable or satellite package for tape delay or a subscription to NBC Sports Gold if you want live streaming video. The former will air tape delay of every stage, generally around 8 p.m. ET each evening.

The latter is a subscription service, but includes live streaming video beginning at 8 a.m. for every stage of the Vuelta. The cycling pass costs $39.99.