Vuelta a España 2022

Vuelta a España 2022 overview

When is La Vuelta a España: 21 stages from 19th August to 11th September

How long is La Vuelta a España: 3,280.5km (2038 miles)

Where does the race start: Utrecht

Where does it finish: Madrid

How to watch La Vuelta a Espana Live

The latest results from La Vuelta a España

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Remco Evenepoel wins 2022 Vuelta a España

Vuelta a Espana stage 21 - As it happened

Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) celebrated his first Grand Tour victory as he sealed the overall title at the 2022 Vuelta a España. 

The 22-year-old stood on the podium and gave an emotional winner's speech as his rivals runner-up Enric Mas (Movistar) and third-placed Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) opened their bottles of champagne next to Evenepoel on the podium in celebration of the conclusion of three week Spanish Grand Tour in Madrid.

Evenepoel won the title by 2:02 lead over Mas and 4:57 ahead of Ayuso.

Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) beat green jersey winner Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and his teammate Pascal Ackerman to win the final stage 21 of the Vuelta a España in Madrid this Sunday.

• Stage 20: Evenepoel seals overall at Vuelta a España as Carapaz claims third stage victory / As it happened
• Stage 19: Mads Pedersen claims third victory on stage 19 at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 18: Remco Evenepoel attacks to win stage 18 at Vuelta a EspañaRemco / As it happened
• Stage 17: Rigoberto Urán claims breakaway win on stage 17 / As it happened
• Stage 16: Mads Pedersen wins chaotic stage 16 in Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 15: Evenepoel digs deep to defend lead atop Sierra Nevada at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 14: Carapaz wins stage 14 atop Sierra de La Pandera at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 13: Mads Pedersen wins hilly stage 13 in Montilla at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 12: Richard Carapaz attacks from breakaway to win stage 12 at Vuelta a España atop Estepona summit / As it happened
• Stage 11: Kaden Groves sprints to stage 11 victory at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 10: Evenepoel smashes stage 10 time trial to increase overall lead at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 9: Meintjes secures stage 9 win, Evenepoel gains more time atop Les Praeres at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 8: Vine wins second mountaintop finish at Vuelta a España on stage 8 Colláu Fancuaya summit / As it happened
• Stage 7: Jesús Herrada claims stage 7 victory from winning breakaway at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 6: Vine wins stage 6 atop Pico Jano summit, Evenepoel takes overall lead at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 5:  Marc Soler holds off chase to take solo victory on stage 5 at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 4: Primoz Roglic moves into Vuelta a España lead after winning stage 4 / As it happened
• Stage 3: Sam Bennett wins two in a row on stage 3 at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 2: Sam Bennett wins mass sprint to secure stage 2 victory at Vuelta a España / As it happened
• Stage 1: Jumbo-Visma win team time trial in Utrecht to put Gesink in first lead at Vuelta a España / As it happened

Where is La Vuelta a Espana today?

The Vuelta a España finished at the finale stage 21 held from Las Rozas to Madrid on Sunday. The 96.7km flat route was set to be a celebration for the GC riders and a final chance at a stage victory for the sprinters. 

Vuelta a España 2022 Favourites

With the race in full motion, the current Vuelta a España general classification standings in the race give a strong indication of the form of the key favourites, and likely outcome in Madrid.

Entering the race, Primož Roglič stood out as a strong favourite in the race, but carrying injuries from the Tour de France was always likely to be an unknown quantity.

Remco Evenepoel, entering the race as something of a wildcard, has since stamped his authority on the field, and has commonly been described by his rivals as the strongest rider in the race.

However, with the hardest stages in the race still to come, there is every chance of a dramatic shift in the GC order.

Read more in our complete analysis of the key contenders at La Vuelta a España 2022.

Related: Philippa York analysis: Evenepoel is a level above everyone else at Vuelta a España

• The current GC standings of the 2022 Vuelta
• Vuelta a España 2022 – Comprehensive team-by-team guide
• Vuelta a España 2022 Favorites
• Five key stages of the Vuelta a España 2022

Vuelta a España 2022 route

The Vuelta a España will begin in the Netherlands in 2022 with a team time trial in Utrecht. It is the second time the Grand Depart has been held on Dutch soil, last in Assen in 2009. It is also only the fourth time the Spanish Grand Tour has started outside its home country, which included a start in Portugal in 1987 and France in 2017 in addition to the two editions in the Netherlands.

The original plans from 2020 included La Vuelta Holanda Grand Depart with three stages in the Netherlands, but the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the race to an 18-stage event in the Basque Country.

Utrecht hosted the team presentation the day before the mid-August start, as well as the initial team time trial and the finish line for the second stage that began in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The third stage covered a long loop around Breda, starting and finishing in the city.

Now in Spain, the Vuelta is taking on the usual steep, savage inclines that are characteristic of the Grand Tour route.

The Vuelta's key mountain stages will fall on stage 15, 18 and 20, each of which will witness considerable elevation gain, while stage 15 will host a brand new 2,512m summit finish.

Vuelta a España 2022 teams

The Vuelta a España consists of 23 teams, including all 18 WorldTour teams, competing. Alongside the WorldTour squads, Alpecin-Fenix and Arkéa-Samsic joined the start list. as the top two UCI ProTeams. 

La Vuelta also has three wildcard entries, rather than the two seen at the Tour de France, with Spanish teams Euskaltel-Euskadi, Kern Pharma and Burgos-BH completing the team list.

Read our comprehensive Vuelta team guide for a rundown of the composition of each team. Coming during the period of pro cycling transfers, while offering one of the last major chances for teams at risk of relegation to change their fortunes, La Vuelta has a unique dynamic for teams amongst the Grand Tours.

• AG2R Citroën Team
• Astana Qazaqstan
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora-Hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Jumbo-Visma
• Lotto Soudal
• Movistar Team
• QuickStep-AlphaVinyl
• Team BikeExchange-Jayco
• Team DSM
• Trek-Segafredo
• UAE Team Emirates
• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Team Arkéa-Samsic
• Burgos-BH
• Equipo Kern Pharma
• Euskaltel-Euskadi

Vuelta a España history

The Vuelta was first staged in 1935, but after two years was interrupted another four years because of the Spanish Civil War. It returned seven times between 1941 and 1954, to finally land as an annual event in 1955. 

In its earliest years in the mid-1930s the Vuelta was a late spring race. It moved to a mid-summer slot in the 1950s then back to April. In 1995 it shifted a full five months to September where it has been a staple tune-up event for the World Championships.

Coming at the end of season each year, the Vuelta is always unpredictable and rarely sees a rider with multiple titles. Only one rider has won the red leader’s jersey four times, Roberto Heras doing so in 2000 and 2003-2005. There is a trio of riders with three titles each, most recently Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) adding a third consecutive victory in 2021. Tony Rominger and Alberto Contador also have three victories each, Rominger securing his consecutive streak from 1992-1994. 

Roglic is also the only Slovenian to have won the Vuelta to date. His winning margin of 4 minutes and 42 seconds over Enric Mas was the largest time difference between first and second place in 24 years, when Alex Zülle took more than five minutes over Fernando Escartin.

Vuelta a España most successful riders

• Delio Rodríguez has won the most Vuelta a España stages with 39 in the 1940s
• Alejandro Valverde is the most successful active rider with 13 stage wins and one overall victory (2009)
• Alex Zülle has the most days in the leader's jersey with 48
• Roberto Heras has the most overall wins with four between 2000-2005, one of which he won back in court after being disqualified for doping