"The 2027 race will start in Spain" - Vuelta director reveals first pointers about next year's edition
CyclingSaturday, 12 September 2026 at 06:00
The 2027 Vuelta a España is starting to take shape already, as the 2026 edition enters its decisive days. Javier Guillén, the race director, has begun to lift the veil slightly on next year’s route and dropped several strong hints. The headline: the race will start in Spain again after three consecutive editions with foreign Grand Depart hosts.
Guillén opted for caution to avoid the next edition stealing the spotlight from a race still undecided. He did confirm, however, that the official announcement of the start location will come this Sunday, coinciding with the finale of the current edition in Granada. That is when we will learn which city fires the starting gun for an edition already generating intrigue.
Among the reports circulating in recent weeks, Galicia has gained notable traction. The Galician region has been among the leading candidates to host the Grand Depart, a scenario that would also align with the Año Xacobeo 2027. Guillén did not explicitly confirm that option, but he did tell Marca that the published information was not far off the mark.
The start returns to Spain and the north takes center stage
What is clear is that the north will carry major weight in next year’s route. The Vuelta’s top man promised "a lot of north" and further raised expectations by calling the draft route "another big Vuelta." Without naming climbs, cities, or stages, Guillén made it clear the race will again lean into difficulty and variety.
"There’s a lot being published. It’s not far off because it’s true that the Vuelta is going to do a lot in the north next year," Guillén explained during the time trial between El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera. His words add fuel to the possibility that Galicia ultimately hosts the race start.
The director of Spain’s Grand Tour also confirmed the return of a Grand Depart on home soil. "I can say that the Vuelta will start in Spain, unlike these last three years," he stated. The move marks a shift from the recent strategy that took the race beyond Spain’s borders, with the Lisbon in 2024, Italy’s Piedmont in 2025, and most recently Monaco in 2026.
📊 Top 10 GC - Stage 1⃣9⃣ | Etapa 1⃣9⃣
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 11, 2026
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Guillén insisted it is still not the time to shift focus to 2027. "I don’t like to talk about the next one until this one is over," he admitted. The priority now is to wrap up a 2026 edition with the red jersey still in play, although the race director did advance that Sunday will bring the official announcement of the next Vuelta’s start location.
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As for the route, the only additional certainty is that expectations are high. "I’ve been told a few things about the route and what I can say is that it’s another big Vuelta," Guillén said. A Spanish start combined with a northern-heavy design points to an edition rich in climbing and familiar battlegrounds. Should Galicia be chosen, the Año Xacobeo would add a special dimension to a Grand Depart that puts Spain back at the heart of the Vuelta’s map.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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