Profiles: From February 14th to 18th, the peloton takes on the Vuelta a Andalucia. Last year, Tadej Pogacar secured victory in this Spanish race, which consistently attracts big names and promises exciting racing every single year.
The race leaves the mountains behind this year, but also does not please the sprinters. This is a five-day race that will feature five hilly stages. Some end in a climb, others in downhill or flat terrain, but what we do know is that each and every day is open for many different riders.
Stage 1: La Herradura (Almuñécar) - Cádiar, 163.4 kilometers
The opening day of the race is incredibly tricky. 3700 meters of climbing, however this is not a day that features any big climb. The riders do go from sea level to 1500 meters of altitude slowly mid-stage, but come-down. It is in Cádiar that the stage ends with a downhill finale, however this comes after a 3.3-kilometer ascent at 7.6% that finishes with 2 kilometers to go.
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Stage 2: Vélez-Málaga - Alcaudete, 159.7 kilometers
The second day of racing has a tough start right outside Vélez-Málaga, with a few climbs. A 17-kilometer climb will open things up. Midway through the stage we'll have a key climb in the race which is 3 kilometers at 9.8%, which several explosive hilltops right after. The race may break apart here. There is still a long way to go to the finish however, and the hilltop finish into Alcaudete is 8.5 kilometers at 3.5% - not a serious climb, but differences can be made here certainly, and tactics can be crucial.
Stage 3: Arjona - Pozoblanco, 164.6 kilometers
If there is a day that can end in a sprint, it is the third stage. 164 kilometers into Pozoblanco will have 2200 meters of climbing and has rolling roads all throughout the day. The final third of the stage is not overly hard however. A bunch sprint is certainly possible, however even on this day there is a drag to the line which may open things up.
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Stage 4: Córdoba - Lucena, 168.2 kilometers
The fourth day of racing is another explosive one, this one into Lucena. The main feature of the day is the final circuit. The peloton takes in four laps of a circuit that has a 2.2-kilometer ascent at 6.8%. This ends with only 4 kilometers to go; from there on we've got a very fast non-technical downhill finish.
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Stage 5: Benahavis - La Línea de la Concepción, 173 kilometers
The race ends at La Línea de la Concepción. The finale is flat, the easiest of the entire race, but the day's first half is very hard. Right from the start we've got a 20-kilometer climb at 5% where the race may break apart completely. Following that, there is a plateau section, and three ascents (5.1Km at 5.1%; 3.6Km at 5% and 7.6Km at 5.9%) where the race may break apart finally. If not, it will be hard to make the differences later on, but it should make for an interesting stage.
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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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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- 1️⃣4️⃣ días para la 70° VUELTA CICLISTA A ANDALUCÍA - RUTA DEL SOL ¿Quién sucederá a @TamauPogi tras su victoria del año pasado? 🤔 📅 ¡Nos vemos el 14 de febrero en Almuñécar - La Herradura!
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