The peloton will swallow 3,280.5 kilometers in total, with eleven unpublished arrivals, and the Spanish loop will end on September 11, 2022 in Madrid, which again becomes the final destination city after giving way to Santiago de Compostela in 2021.

The big departure in Utrecht, already scheduled for 2020, had to be canceled because of the pandemic.

But in 2022, the Dutch city will be able to boast of having received the three great Tours (the Giro in 2010 and the Tour de France in 2015).

After this initial team time trial, two more stages will be contested in the Netherlands, then the peloton will return to the other side of the Pyrenees after a day of rest to make the trip.

The riders will start in Spain with three stages in the Basque Country, then approach the peaks of Cantabria, Leon and Asturias, where the general classification should start to settle.

The first arrival at altitude will take place during the 6th stage, with the final climb to Pico Jano and its ramps going up to 13%.

2022 Tour of Spain cycling route Valentin RAKOVSKY AFP

Two days later, the peloton will climb the Collau Fancuaya at the end of the 154.5 km of the 8th stage, and the next day, it will face off against the final explosive of the 9th stage on the raidillon of Les Praeres, with its ramps grazing the 25%!

Earthenware and Pizarro

After a rest day, the Vuelta will head to south-eastern Spain for a 31.1 kilometer individual time trial between Elche and Alicante (10th stage).

And the route will take the runners to Andalusia, where the mountain will reappear.

The 12th stage, flat, will end at the Peñas Blancas pass after 195.5 kilometers of effort: an ascent of around twenty kilometers.

And after a quieter stage between Ronda and Montilla, it is the summit of Hoya de la Mora which will rise in front of the peloton during the final of the 15th stage, at more than 2,510 meters above sea level.

It will be one of the most trying days of this 2022 edition, with its 148 kilometers and more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain to swallow.

A new and unprecedented finish will await the runners at the end of the 17th stage at the Tentudia monastery, a 2nd category pass and the highest point in the province of Badajoz (southwest of the country).

Former Spanish cycling champion Alberto Contador attends the presentation of La Vuelta in Madrid, December 16, 2021 Oscar DEL POZO AFP

The next day, three days before the final, the Tour of Spain 2022 will again and again offer relief: the 18th stage, 191.7 kilometers long, will take the peloton from Trujillo, birthplace of the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, to the summit of Piornal, unprecedented arrival on the Spanish loop.

The perfect opportunity to widen the gap in the general standings.

Because after an antepenultimate stage at Talavera de la Reina, famous for its ceramics, the Vuelta will approach Madrid: the 20th stage will end at the Col de Navacerrada, the ultimate opportunity to upset the classification, before the final finish in the capital city.

© 2021 AFP