Publication date: 17 Aug 2022

About the Tour of Spain

The Vuelta a España (the Tour of Spain) is a road race and one of the three Grand Tours, the most prestigious series in road cycling.

It has been held annually since 1995 in Spain and Andorra in August and September.

2022 Vuelta a España

The 2022 Vuelta a España will last 3 weeks and will be held in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain from 19 August to 11 September. It is the upcoming 77th edition of the Spanish cycling race and the last Grand Tour of the 2022 men’s road cycling season.

The race starts in Utrecht, Netherlands and finishes in Madrid, Spain.

There will be 23 teams competing in the 2022 Vuelta de España.

History of the Vuelta a España

The Tour of Spain was first held in 1935. Until 1995, the race was held in May.

The boom of the Vuelta a España came much later, unlike the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. Nevertheless, the Spanish bicycle race managed to gain popularity. Furthermore, it surpasses the other stages of the Grand Tour in terms of difficulty.

The first Vuelta a España in 1935 involved 50 cyclists. The route ran from Madrid (Spain) to Valladolid (Mexico) and consisted of 14 stages, totalling 3245 km. Gustaaf Deloor became the first Spanish cycling champion. The following year he repeated the result, with his brother Alfons Deloor coming in second.

Due to the Spanish Civil War, the Tour of Spain had to be interrupted for four years.

In the history of professional cycling, only seven cyclists have managed to win all three stages of the Grand Tour.

The leaders of the cycling race wear a jersey of a certain colour to distinguish themselves from the rest of the competitors. The colours of the Vuelta a España leader’s jersey have changed several times:

• from 1935 it was orange;
• in 1941 it was white;
• from 1942 to orange again;
• 1945 – 1950 was white with a horizontal red stripe;
• 1955 – 1998 was yellow (with the exception of 1977 – the colour was turned orange again);
• from 1998 to 2010 it was golden;
• from 2010 to the present time the colour remains red.

 Previous Vuelta a España winners

2023 Vuelta a España

According to preliminary information, the 2023 Vuelta a España bicycle race will be held from 19 August to 10 September. The race will start in Barcelona (Spain).

Keep an eye on the dates of bicycle races and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.