The 81st edition of the Vuelta a España heads abroad to Monaco for the Gran Partida, with the first of two individual time trials in this year's race kicking off the action on Saturday afternoon.
The riders will face a short and very technical route held entirely within the Principality, peppered with 13 corners, hairpins and roundabouts, three tunnels and short punchy climbs.
Starting next to the Monte Carlo Casino, the 9.4km route takes in many of the iconic Formula 1 circuit's legendary sections, including the Fairmont hairpin and the tunnel on Boulevard Louis II.
It runs through the Chapiteau de l’Espace Fontvielle and alongside Port Hercules and the Louis II Stadium before ending at the same finish line as the Monaco Grand Prix on Boulevard Albert 1er, where the first leader of the 2026 Vuelta will be crowned.
Such is the short distance, it likely won't lead to major gaps in the general classification, but the technical nature means that any mistakes could prove costly, so all of the overall favourites will need to be at their attentive best.
Several TT specialists are present for the start, the likes of Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos), Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ United), but the twists and turns play into the hands of the more technically capable rider, think Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and even Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).
Monaco native and heavy overall favourite Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will have his eyes on the red jersey at the race's conclusion in Granada in three weeks, but he could scorch into it early over adopted home roads if he puts on a show on the opening day.
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Though he may not be as willing to throw caution to the wind as those chasing stage wins and the red jersey mentioned already, as they know that an early trip to the mountains on stages 3 and 4 points to this being the only chance to take red before Pogačar most likely takes full control.
Though the stage will go on into the night, with four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) the last to roll down the start ramp at 19:20 CEST, neither light nor the weather are expected to play a big part, with dry conditions forecast.
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Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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