Preview: Ruta del Sol 2026 - will Tom Pidcock hold off the UAE block on 'easy' course?
On an atypical route for the Ruta del Sol 2026 — also known as the Vuelta a Andalucia — cycling fans will be treated to several exciting stages next week. The first stage normally ends in a bunch sprint, the following three stages favor strong attackers or powerful sprinters, and on the final day (Sunday) there awaits a somewhat challenging finale where the overall decision will likely be made. Can Tom Pidcock make a move against the strong UAE Emirates XRG squad? WielerFlits looks ahead!
History
Last edition
After a tough opening stage, UAE Emirates XRG set the pace, but it was Maxim Van Gils, who immediately won in the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe jersey. The following day, it was Tom Pidcock celebrating victory, sprinting to the win from a group of five. Pavel Sivakov was also in the mix and took over the leader’s jersey. The only difficult sprint stage was then won by the now-retired Alexander Kristoff.
The next day offered another chance for a sprint, but there was a difficult opening phase. A large breakaway formed and held off the peloton. Despite some well-known names being present, it was the relatively unknown pure attacker Diego Uriarte who took the win. The same scenario unfolded in the final stage, where Jon Barrenetxea outsmarted Norwegians Tobias Halland Johannessen and Johannes Staune-Mittet.
Sivakov’s leading position was never seriously threatened. Clément Berthet (second) and Pidcock joined him on the podium. For Belgians Van Gils, Tim Wellens, and Steff Cras, the podium was just out of reach as they finished fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. The only Dutch participant in the Vuelta a Andalucia-Ruta del Sol 2025 was David Dekker. The sprinter from the then Euskaltel-Euskadi didn’t make the finish in stage four.
Route
"Every year we consider which races suit our team. Sometimes you have to rely on the routes from previous years. Now that I have just seen the Ruta del Sol route, it’s really very different from how it’s been in recent years," concluded Visma | Lease a Bike Head of Racing Grischa Niermann early January. That says a lot. On paper, this is one of the least demanding editions of the Vuelta a Andalucia, which also lacks an individual time trial.
Three or maybe four sprints and a final stage whose finish will decide the overall standings. That sums up Ruta del Sol 2026. Perhaps that’s why the bonus seconds will prove decisive. At the end of each stage, the first three riders in the results can earn ten, six, and four seconds respectively. In addition, on stages three and five (twice on the latter) there is a “golden kilometre.” In both cases, on a short climb, three, two, and one bonus seconds await.
The opening phase of this stage mirrors the finale of last season’s closing stage. At Ronda, the riders now turn right instead of left. Still, the profile afterwards looks almost identical. Attacking riders will have to make their move in the first half of the stage. Several riders – including Baptiste Veistroffer, Marc Soler, and Arnaud Tendon – have already surprised the peloton early this season. The last hour of the race gives sprint teams a chance to organize. Will they manage to do so in time?
The second stage might again create opportunities for early breakaways. They will have to be patient for the first hour, though, and it’s uncertain whether the sprint teams will cooperate. If harmless riders manage to get away in the opening kilometers, the chance of a (reduced) bunch sprint in the finale increases. If there is a fierce fight to get clear on the first climb, it can significantly reduce the chances of the fast men.
The third stage is a toss-up. Since there aren’t many opportunities for the strong climbers and puncheurs in this Ruta del Sol, this could well turn into a GC day. The finale lends itself to this, although the two climbs in the last forty kilometers aren’t the most challenging. The finish in Lopera is somewhat different. The last 250 meters ramp up noticeably, favoring riders with plenty of power in their legs. The question is: will a soloist come through here?
This stage also invites early breakaways. After about fifteen kilometers, the peloton reaches the foot of Alto de Españares. Once over the top, they enter a kind of high plateau that continues to the finish in Pozoblanco. Riders who participated last year will recognize this, as the stage is almost identical to last year’s third stage. They just start slightly further west and race a local circuit in and around Pozoblanco. Last year, Alexander Kristoff took the win here.
In the finale of the last stage of this Ruta del Sol, the GC riders must make their move. In the last thirty kilometers, the Alto de la Primera Cruz is climbed twice near the finish town of Lucena. The climb is about three kilometers long with an average gradient just under six percent. The climb tests the riders’ patience, as the hardest part is in the final stretch. The last one and a half kilometers below the summit is the steepest. The finish is almost five kilometers after a descent, in Lucena.
Favorites
Although very little can be concluded from the scattered Vuelta a Murcia, <
