Saturday 5 September 2026 – Vuelta a España stage 14: Jaén → Sierra de la Pandera (154.5 km)

Route

Stage 14 of the Vuelta a España 2026 is the toughest mountain stage of the third week of racing. The route from Jaén to the Sierra de la Pandera covers 154.5 kilometres and 4,338 metres of climbing, with barely a flat stretch along the way. The stage culminates in a final climb of 11.4 kilometres at 7.2%.

From the start in Jaén, the road immediately rises gently towards Mancha Real, at modest gradients. The riders tackle a loop of 69.7 kilometres before returning to Jaén. From there the road climbs gradually towards the foot of the Puerto de los Villares, which they reach after around 80 kilometres. The climb is 10.5 kilometres long at an average of 5.4%. After the descent, around 20 kilometres of rolling terrain follows towards the Puerto de Locubín (8.7 km at 5.1%), which is also where the intermediate sprint is located, with bonus seconds of 6, 4 and 2.

After the top of the Puerto de Locubín, the road descends towards Valdepeñas de Jaén, where a short, sharp rise kicks off the finale. After a short descent, the road rises at a false flat all the way to the foot of the final climb, at kilometre 143.1. From there begins the Sierra de la Pandera: 11.4 kilometres at 7.2%.

Final kilometres

At 4.5 kilometres from the top of the Sierra de la Pandera, the toughest section begins: two kilometres of double-digit gradients, with a stretch of 15% just before the flamme rouge. In the final kilometre, the road first descends, before curving back upward in the last few hundred metres towards the line.

Recent editions

The Vuelta finishes on the Sierra de la Pandera for the seventh time. 2003 – Alejandro Valverde (Kelme-Costa Blanca). 2006 – Andrey Kashechkin (Astana). 2009 – Damiano Cunego (Lampre). 2017 – Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe). 2022 – Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), who rode solo to the top.

Scenarios

A stage for the climbers: the final kilometres with gradients up to 15% leave no room for doubters. Early breakaway riders will get their chance on the flat opening kilometres, but the steep final climb makes the stage interesting for the general classification contenders.

Enric Mas goes into the stage with a lead of 1:45 over Primož Roglič and 2:06 over Felix Gall. A day for the big grand tour climbers: both Roglič and Gall need to attack to make up time on Mas before the Vuelta enters its final week.

Local

Jaén is the capital of the province of the same name, responsible for around a fifth of the world's olive oil production. Since 2022, the city has also hosted the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, a spring race won by Tim Wellens in 2026. The Sierra de la Pandera has been known since 2002 as one of the toughest climbs in the Vuelta.

Weather forecast

On Saturday, it will be warm and sunny at the finish on the Sierra de la Pandera, with a maximum of 28.8°C and a minimum of 18.4°C. It will remain dry all day. In the finale, a north-northwesterly wind will blow at speeds of up to 18.5 km/h.

TV guide

• Eurosport 1 — from 14:45
• HBO Max — from 14:45
• Sporza online — from 14:50
• VRT1 — from 14:50