A deep dive into the route of the Vuelta a España 2026 has revealed that ASO has once again found a couple of new climbs to test out for a year. Remarkably, one of these two climbs will decide the race definitively: the Collado del Alguacil, the final climb of stage 20.
This year’s Vuelta features fewer 'famous' climbs. Since the race mostly traverses the southern part of the country, Asturian and Galician climbs like the Alto de l'Angliru and Lagos de Covadonga are excluded from the 2026 route. The centrally located Bola del Mundo – although included this year – will also not be part of the 2026 edition. So you would expect many new climbs in the Vuelta, even though the race has often visited the Valencia and Andalusia regions in the past.
In total, the new Vuelta route includes two new major climbs. That is one more than in 2025, when ASO only introduced the Alto de El Morredero for the first time in the route. These are the Puerto de El Bartolo on stage 6 to Castellón and the Collado del Alguacil on stage 20. Mountain top finishes such as Aramón Valdelinares (2x), Alto de Aitana (4x), Calar Alto (3x), and Sierra de la Pandera (6x) have appeared multiple times in the Vuelta.
In the sixth stage of the Vuelta a España, riders must tackle the Puerto de El Bartolo (10.6 kilometers at 6.7%) in the finale, followed by a descent and a flat 20-kilometer stretch to the finish in Castellón. The Puerto de El Bartolo is the highest peak of the Desert de les Palmes mountain range in the Valencia region. The mountain rises to 729 meters above sea level. At the summit stand three distinctive antennas, and there’s a great view over the Mediterranean Sea and nearby mountains.
At first glance, the climb doesn’t seem too tough with its average gradient of almost 7 percent, but the gradient is highly irregular with spikes over 20 percent. Just before the summit, there’s even a section of 16 percent. What also makes this climb tougher is that the final kilometers to the top are unpaved. In short: you would almost expect the GC contenders to reveal themselves here.
The Vuelta will be decided on the Collado del Alguacil (16.9 kilometers at 6.9%). It promises to be an incredibly grueling stage, which also includes the well-known Alto de Hazallanas to be climbed twice and the Puerto de El Purche. The Collado del Alguacil is possibly the toughest climb of them all, although its average gradient at first glance doesn’t seem too intimidating. This is because the first nine kilometers of the climb are relatively manageable. From Guéjar Sierra onwards, the climb gets really tough: in the last nine kilometers, the gradient doesn’t drop below 10 percent.
This climb is still relatively unknown to cyclists and has never been part of the Vuelta before. Riders who have tackled the Collado del Alguacil praise it for its difficulty and the beautiful views it offers. The last kilometers of the mountain are almost bare, providing stunning vistas.
“This climb is really worth it,” we read on ClimbFinder. “You have a large part of the route with views over the Sierra Nevada and beautiful sights of the lake and dam. The beginning of the climb is still easy, but towards the end it becomes tougher, with five kilometers at 10 percent and one kilometer at 11 percent. After the village, at nine kilometers, there is a section exceeding 20 percent.”
