Vuelta España Femenina stage-by-stage guide

Preview

Team heads to Spain for toughest Vuelta yet

Human Powered Health faces one of the toughest Vuelta España Femenina routes to date, as the team kicks off the Grand Tour season in Spain from May 3 to 9.

The seven stages cover 815 km across northwest Spain with four punchy, hilly opening stages in Galicia, followed by a lone potential sprint stage. The decisive finale comes in Asturias with back-to-back summit finishes at Les Praeres and the brutal L'Angliru.

After a period of altitude training, Barbara Malcotti returns to racing action for her second stage race of 2026 to lead a versatile squad. She is backed up by fellow climber Petra Stiasny and puncheur Titia Ryo, as well as a strong core of rouleurs that includes Marit Raaijmakers, Marta Jaskulska and Katia Ragusa. Sprinter Silvia Zanardi completes the roster and will have her eyes on the few flat tests the race has to offer.

Ahead of the action, watch our new film If We All Rode Bikes, about the core idea that fuels our bike team.

Vuelta España Femenina Stage by Stage

5/3
Stage 1
Route: Marín – Salvaterra de Miño
Distance: 113.9 km
Parcours: Hilly
Look out for: A rising final kilometer with two sweeping hairpins that will bring puncheurs to the fore and may split the group
What matters: Starting the GC week well by not losing any time and finishing within the lead group

La Vuelta starts as it means to go on, with a punchy stage that could already affect the general classification. There are two categorized climbs to suit a breakaway, with the Alto do Cruceiro and Alto da Portela in its first half, before the route rolls to Salvaterra de Mino and a rising false flat sprint that will crown the week's first red leader’s jersey.

5/4
Stage 2
Route: Lobios – San Cibrao das Viñas
Distance: 109.8 km
Parcours: Medium Mountains
Look out for: A 1.8 km at 5.5% rise in the finale that tops out just over 1.5 kilometers from the line
What matters: Getting over the final ramp in a strong position to compete for the stage

Stage 2 is rarely flat, a test that riders who have come from the Ardennes Classics will be used to by now. There are no categorized climbs, but the undulating nature of the route could well suit a breakaway effort if the top GC candidates would rather keep their powder dry for the crucial stages to come.

5/5
Stage 3
Route: Padrón – A Coruña
Distance: 121.2 km
Parcours: Medium Mountains
Look out for: Six climbs in the finale before a fast seven-kilometer run-in to A Coruna
What matters: A bonus sprint 17 kilometers from the finish, followed by a 2.5 km at 5.4% hill, and a 1 km at 6.3% kicker

The peloton contends with a rising and rolling first half of the stage, typical of the Galicia region. The final half of stage 3 then has a sharktooth-like profile with six climbs between one and three kilometers in length spread across 35 kilometers. This could instigate an attacking, yet attritional finale.

5/6
Stage 4
Route: Monforte de Lemos – Antas de Ulla
Distance: 115.6 km
Parcours: Hilly
Look out for: A bonus sprint in Monterroso, five kilometers from the finish
What matters: Surviving the days rolling hills for a final kick up to Antas de Ulla

After a two-day break, categorized climbs then return on stage 4, which should prompt a breakaway. They are the 3.3 km at 5.9% Alto de Oural and the 6.5 km at 4.1% Alto do Hostital. Like the previous Galician stages, stage 4 is a punchy test with a rising false flat finish in Antas de Ulla, not too dissimilar to the opening day.

5/7
Stage 5
Route: León – Astorga
Distance: 119.6 km
Parcours: Flat
Look out for: Crosswinds could be a threat on the open plains as the race turns south in the final 25 kilometers
What matters: A strong lead-out and togetherness for the flat final third of the race

Stage 5 is classed as ‘flat’, but only because it’s the only stage with under a thousand meters of climbing. 985 meters, to be exact, so even a slight uphill ride to the presentation stage would still put you over four figures in total. Although it’s a stage earmarked for pure sprinters, the final 300 meters rise at 4.5%.

5/8
Stage 6
Route: Gijón/Xixón – Les Praeres. Nava
Distance: 106.5 km
Parcours: High Mountains
Look out for: The steep, short 3.9 km at 12.6% Les Praeres final climb with its maximum gradient of 27%
What matters: Today’s all about the climbing legs firing on all cylinders for the finish. If anything, the entire week leading up to it is what matters, having enough in reserve for the real test

Stage 6 begins the most important weekend of the whole stage race. Les Praeres is just a taste of what is to come on Sunday. This is where the fortunes of the first Grand Tour are written. Where the top contenders and climbers will come to the fore and settle the general classification. Expect major changes in that battle on Saturday to set up an incredible final day.

5/9
Stage 7
Route: La Pola Llaviana/Pola de Laviana – L'Angliru
Distance: 132.9 km
Parcours: High Mountains
Look out for: L'Angliru, 12.1 km at 10.3%, the stats speak for themselves
What matters: Giving it everything on L'Angliru. A true test of both climbing legs, survival and how much you can suffer on a bike

L'Angliru is arguably the most famous and most feared climb in Spain, and will undoubtedly crown the queen of La Vuelta after the longest stage of the race. But it’s not just L'Angliru today. 3,504 meters of vertical gain also includes three other categorized climbs, most notably the rolling 5.5 km at 6.4% Alto del Tenebredo, with its steep pitches to its peak, topping out 36 kilometers from the finish. The final mountain then climbs 4.5 km at 7.7% before a barely noticeable plateau leads to the final 6.5 km at an average of 13.4%. It truly is a brutal climb to end the Vuelta España Femenina.

How to watch

USA
Peacock
Stage 1 from 6:45 am EDT / 5:45 am CDT / 4:45 am MDT / 3:45 am PDT
Stage 2 – 5 from 9:30 am EDT / 8:30 am CDT / 7:30 am MDT / 6:30 am PDT
Stage 6 from 10 am EDT / 9 am CDT / 8 am MDT / 7 am PDT
Stage 7 from 6:50 am EDT / 5:50 am CDT / 4:50 am MDT / 3:50 am PDT

Canada
FloBikes

Greater Europe
Eurosport/Discovery+/HBO (territory dependent)
Stage 1 from 12:45 CET
Stage 2 – 5 from 15:30 CET
Stage 6 from 16:00 CET
Stage 7 from 12:50 CET

UK
HBO / TNT Sports
Stage 1 from 11:45 GMT
Stage 2 – 5 from 14:30 GMT
Stage 6 from 15:00 GMT
Stage 7 from 11:50 GMT

Times correct as of the date of publication

What our athletes think

Barbara Malcotti

I have done good training at altitude, and I feel pretty strong, but I can’t say at the moment how my shape is, as I didn’t race, and I compared myself with the big names. For sure, we have a good team, as I have seen in the Ardennes, all the riders are in a very good mood and ready to fight. We will try our best all week, as at least a top ten on GC will be a great result for us. I really like the routes, and I think it suits me. There isn’t a TT this year, which in previous stage races has been my Achilles heel. The last two stages in particular will be super hard, and I’m excited for that as I expect my shape to grow during the week.

Petra Stiasny

I'm super excited to start the Vuelta with the team. I have been looking forward to this race, and I have been preparing well. Honestly, I love the parcours. It's going to be a really hard Vuelta, and I like it when it’s a tough parcours. For me, having L'Angliru is a dream. One of the toughest and most famous climbs in cycling. It’s exactly the type of climb I love the most, as it’s so steep.

Photos: GettySport, Human Powered Health, A.S.O.