Vuelta a Espana to start in Monaco in 2026

Spanish grand tour cycling race the Vuelta a Espana will start in Monaco in the 2026 edition, said race organisers Thursday.

"The race's inaugural stage will take place entirely within Monaco's territory, which will also host the departure of La Vuelta 26's second stage," said organisers in a statement.

The French Riviera city previously hosted the Grand Depart of the 2009 Tour de France.

La Vuelta had an international grand departure for the first time in Lisbon in 1997, and the race will also begin in the Portuguese capital this year.

The three-week Spanish race has twice started in the Netherlands, in Assen (2009) and Utrecht (2022), and in France once, in Nimes (2017).

The 2024 race runs from August 17 to September 8 across 21 gruelling stages in the Spanish summer heat, covering 3 265 kilometres.

La Vuelta is one of the three major tours, along with the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.