Stage 1 Torino - Novara (186.1km)
For the first time in history, the Vuelta a España will start in Italy. Turin, the second-largest city in northern Italy, is the stage for the Gran Salida. This means that within just a year and a half, the Italian car city will have hosted the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España. In 2024, Turin was the finish location of stage three in the Tour de France.
The opening stage is not particularly tough. This time, the organizers have left the Superga climb aside. In total, about 185 kilometers must be covered between the finish in Novara and Turin. Along the way, the route designer has managed to squeeze in 1,300 meters of elevation gain, mainly thanks to the climb of La Serra (6.8 km at 5.1%) after roughly seventy kilometers.
After La Serra, the first Vuelta stage continues over gently rolling terrain. The final twenty kilometers are practically flat, which almost guarantees a bunch sprint. The last time the Giro visited Novara, Tim Merlier took the win ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani.
So it looks like a sprinter will get to wear the first red jersey of the Vuelta. Helping matters is the fact that the final 2.7 kilometers of the stage are as straight as can be, which will hopefully keep the number of crashes to a minimum.
Stage 1 Torino - Novara (186.1km)
For the first time in history, the Vuelta a España will start in Italy. Turin, the second-largest city in northern Italy, is the stage for the Gran Salida. This means that within just a year and a half, the Italian car city will have hosted the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España. In 2024, Turin was the finish location of stage three in the Tour de France.
The opening stage is not particularly tough. This time, the organizers have left the Superga climb aside. In total, about 185 kilometers must be covered between the finish in Novara and Turin. Along the way, the route designer has managed to squeeze in 1,300 meters of elevation gain, mainly thanks to the climb of La Serra (6.8 km at 5.1%) after roughly seventy kilometers.
After La Serra, the first Vuelta stage continues over gently rolling terrain. The final twenty kilometers are practically flat, which almost guarantees a bunch sprint. The last time the Giro visited Novara, Tim Merlier took the win ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani.
So it looks like a sprinter will get to wear the first red jersey of the Vuelta. Helping matters is the fact that the final 2.7 kilometers of the stage are as straight as can be, which will hopefully keep the number of crashes to a minimum.