From the 15th to the 19th of February 2023, the peloton will converge in Spain for one of the most esteemed early-season stage races, the Vuelta a Andalucia, also known as the Ruta del Sol. This race unfolds in the southern region of Spain, often blessed with favorable mid-February weather. Each year, it attracts numerous top cyclists to its challenging routes.
The five stages set in 2022 have been revealed, albeit only the starting and finishing locations. Every year however the race presents the opportunities for climbers to test their early-season form, whilst the puncheurs and sprinters get chances of their own.
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Stage 1: Puente de Génave - Santiago de la Espana, 179 kilometers
The opening day of the race will have 4000 meters of climbing in what is a true high mountain stage, in true Spanish form with the ascents ranging from start to finish. The 179 kilometers will feature three 1st category climbs, having 8.1Km at 6.9, 16.5Km at 4.5% and 10.6Km at 5.8%. The latter of those summits with only 8 kilometers to go and will see a descent followed by a sharp drag to the line inside the village of Antiao de la Espada.
Stage 2: Diezma - Alcalá la Real, 156.1 kilometers
Stage two of the Andalusian race will be a day the riders won't quickly forget, one made for the pure puncheurs. It's a day that features two extremely steep climbs, the last combining with the finish. The riders will have 2.1 kilometers at 13.1% in the middle of climb that ends with just over 20 kilometers to go, and the finale in Alcalá La Real has 800 meters at 13%, narrow and with cobbles in the mix, it's a brutal burning effort all the way into the line.
Stage 3: Alcalá de Guadaíra - Alcalá de los Gazules, 161 kilometers
Stage three is perhaps the most simple of the race, but it's by no means an easy day. It's another day for the pure puncheurs who want to test their form, it's a rather flat day into Alcalá de los Gazules - the third village finish of the race. There will be an extremely fast run-up to the hilltop finish which has 1.2 kilometers at 10.7% where gaps will appear once again in a technical finale that features gruesome gradients.
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Stage 4: Olvera - Iznájar, 164.8 kilometers
Stage 4 into Iznájar sees a finale that was used last year, but in a day that will be quite dangerous. Andalucia is known for it's mountains and hills and this will be another day such as that, with as many as six meaningful but small ascents - the hardest of which being 3.5Km at 8.3% - all taking place before the sharp finale which features 1.3 kilometers at 7.2%.
Stage 5: Otura - Alhaurín de la Torre, 184.3 kilometers
The final day of racing into Alhaurín de la Torre is a very mixed one, where the finale coincides with a small hilltop finish as usual, with gradients of 5% inside the final kilometer. That won't be a big issue however, but the climbers will once again find hard challenges on the final day of the race in the form of both long and steep ascents.
The main climb of the day will feature 17.3 kilometers at 4.8%, and most of the stage features terrain which suits offensive style of racing. The final serious climb will have 2.4 kilometers at 9.3%.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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🗞️ ! Ya tenemos recorrido ! 🗞️ 1ª Etapa : Puente de Génave- Santiago de la Espada 2ª Etapa : Diezma - Alcalá la Real 3ª Etapa : Alcalá de Guadaíra- Alcalá de los Gazules 4ª Etapa: Olvera - Iznájar 5ª Etapa: Otura - Alhaurín de la Torre #69rds #uciproseries #ciclismo #cycling
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