Racing will start even earlier in 2027 – New 2.1 event in Canary Islands to kick off pro road calendar in January

A brand-new stage race announced for the Canary Islands next January will see the elite men's professional cycling calendar kick off earlier than ever in 2027.

Classified 2.1 in the UCI calendar, the first-ever professional stage race in the Spanish archipelago will take place from January 14 to January 17. That's nearly a week before the curtain goes up on the Tour Down Under in Australia, traditionally the start of the men's calendar, which begins on January 19.

Situated over 1,000 kilometres further south than the Spanish mainland, the Canary Islands are well known for their altitude training camps and comparatively warm off-season weather, both reasons likely to raise the appeal of taking part for professional teams already heading to the islands.

Whilst no details have emerged about the route, in a social media post, the organisers have confirmed that both WorldTour and ProTeams will be participating, while racing will take place on both of the main islands, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The news also marks an encouraging boost to the Spanish cycling calendar, which had suffered the loss of a number of stage races before events like O Gran Camiño, which began in 2022, indicated the trend might be reversing.

But whilst one-day races like the Gran Premio Castellón and Classica Comunitat Valenciana - also held in an early season slot on January 23 and January 24 - have come into existence or been promoted to pro level, the Vuelta Ciclista a Canarias is the first new pro stage race to be created in Spain in four years.

The brand new four-day event in Spanish islands will be reportedly run by the organiser of two non-professional races: the Vuelta al Norte, a U23 event held in Gran Canaria across three days which made its return to the calendar after a 17-year gap last July, as well as a junior race.

Following years of rumours and speculation, the Canaries were finally due to play host to the Vuelta a España this September, for the first time since the mid 1980s. But an ambitious deal to fly the race out in the final week for four days fell through at the last minute, and the 2026 Vuelta finished on the Spanish mainland, in Granada, instead.

The possibility of a return for the Vuelta to the Canaries in 2028 or 2029 is apparently on the cards once again, but as yet nothing has been confirmed.

In the meantime, the first-ever pro road race in the Canaries looks set to take place next January, and as the first event of the season, audience interest looks certain to be high.

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