Tuesday 25 August – Vuelta a España stage 4: Andorra la Vella → Andorra la Vella (104.8 km)

Route

Stage 4 of the Vuelta a España 2026 stays entirely within the borders of Andorra. Start and finish are both in Andorra la Vella, over a distance of 104.8 kilometres. Despite the short distance, the stage features 2,953 metres of elevation gain: the route goes almost constantly up and down, with four categorised climbs.

The stage climbs straight from the start. At km 1.7 begins the Port d'Envalira (23.4 km at 5.1%, max. 12%), with the steepest sections in the final third of the climb. The summit is at km 25.1. After a 25.4-kilometre descent comes the Collada de Beixalis (6.5 km at 8.5%, max. 16%), with the summit at km 59.3. At km 68.4 lies the intermediate sprint in Ordino. After that comes the Col d'Ordino (9.9 km at 7%), with the summit at km 78.7 and 26.1 kilometres remaining, mostly downhill.

Just before the finish in Andorra la Vella awaits the Alto de la Comella (3.9 km at 5.9%), with the summit at km 100. At the top of the Comella there is a bonus sprint (6, 4 and 2 seconds). From the summit, the road descends 4 kilometres to the line. The winner receives 10 bonus seconds, second and third place 6 and 4.

Final kilometres

After the summit of the Alto de la Comella (km 100) there are still 4.8 kilometres to the finish. The final 4 kilometres form a continuous descent into Andorra la Vella. Whoever crests the top alone has a good chance of holding that advantage to the line.

Recent editions

Andorra la Vella was already a finish town in the Vuelta in 2017. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) won stage 3 that year, with Chris Froome taking over the leader's jersey. In 2021, the Tour de France also finished in Andorra la Vella: Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) won solo after attacking on the final climb. Both victories show that the last climb is often decisive for the arrival in the Andorran capital.

Scenarios

A stage for the climbers. Four category 1 climbs in just over 100 kilometres leave little room for recovery.

A day for the general classification riders. The major grand tour climbers will test each other early in the Vuelta on the Port d'Envalira and the Collada de Beixalis.

Early breakaway riders have a chance. In such a hard, short stage, the favourites' group may keep each other in check, giving space to an escape from the early phase.

Local

Andorra la Vella and the rest of the country are home to more than a hundred WorldTour riders, who train there because of the high-altitude climate and the tax advantages. Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) has lived and trained in Andorra for several years and already won a Tour de France stage on the same finish in 2021. For him, the stage is effectively a home race.

Weather forecast

Expected in Andorra la Vella on Tuesday: predominantly sunny with a maximum of 24.2°C and a minimum of 14.1°C. Precipitation will be limited (dry, 0.3 mm). In the finale there will be a south-westerly wind with gusts up to 10 km/h, so not a major factor in the final kilometres.

TV guide

• Eurosport 1 — 14:30
• HBO Max — 14:30
• VRT1 — 14:35
• Sporza online — 14:35