Thursday 3 September 2026 – Vuelta a España stage 12: Vera → Calar Alto (166.6 km)

Route

Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España 2026 takes the peloton from Vera to the observatory of Calar Alto, 166.6 kilometres further on. It is the toughest mountain stage so far in this Vuelta, with 4,568 metres of climbing spread over five categorised climbs.

Right after the start, at km 16, comes the Alto del Cabecico (8.3 km at 3.3%). After a flat section, the Alto de Cóbdar (4.9 km at 4.5%) begins at km 57.5. Halfway through the stage, at km 86.4, comes the longest climb of the day: the Collado García (18.5 km at 2.4%). After the top, the road descends for a long stretch towards Velefique, where the Alto de Velefique begins at km 135.4 (13.1 km at 7.2%). The first kilometres run in double digits, after which the gradient hovers between 6 and 7% until the final kilometre.

After the descent from the Velefique, the final climb to Calar Alto awaits, home to the largest telescope on the European mainland. The climb is 16.9 kilometres long at an average of 5.6%. The first three kilometres climb at well over 10%, after which it remains tough until km 6. From there the climb becomes irregular, with false flat, short descents and rising stretches, until the road climbs once more three kilometres from the top to an average of 9.5%.

Final kilometres

The last three kilometres to Calar Alto climb at an average of 9.5%, the toughest section of the final climb. Before that, false flat, short descents and rising stretches alternate from km 6 of the climb onwards. At the finish, at an altitude of 2,153 metres, 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds are up for grabs for the first three riders; at the intermediate sprint in Velefique, at the foot of the Alto de Velefique, it is 6, 4 and 2 seconds.

Recent editions

2017 – Miguel Ángel López (Astana), ahead of a group with Chris Froome (Team Sky), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Wilco Kelderman. 2006 – Igor Antón (Euskaltel-Euskadi), his first major professional win. 

2004 – Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros). The Alto de Velefique, today's penultimate climb, was itself a finish location in 2021: Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) won then after a long solo, while Primož Roglič extended his overall lead.

Scenarios

With two category 1 climbs in the closing stages, this is a day for the GC riders: the top grand tour climbers will decide the difference in the final kilometres to Calar Alto.

The long approach via the Collado García and Cóbdar also leaves room for early breakaways: attackers who go on the offensive early can claim the stage win if the GC teams keep each other in check on the Velefique and Calar Alto.

Local

Vera, the start town, is known for Vera Playa, one of the first officially recognised nudist beaches in Spain. Calar Alto is located in the Sierra de los Filabres, in the municipality of Gérgal. At the summit stands the Observatorio Astronómico de Calar Alto, with a 2.2-metre telescope, the largest on the European mainland, a collaboration between the German Max Planck Institut and the Spanish research council CSIC. None of the current participants in this Vuelta was born in the immediate vicinity of Vera or Calar Alto.

Weather forecast

On Thursday, a maximum temperature of 27.4°C is expected at the summit of Calar Alto, with a minimum of 17.9°C. Around 1.5 mm of rainfall is expected. In the finale there will be a weak southerly wind with gusts of up to 8.4 km/h, with limited influence on the race.

TV guide

• Eurosport 1 — 12:45
• HBO Max — 12:45
• Sporza online — 13:30
• VRT1 — 13:30