Vuelta a España 2024 preview: Full schedule and how to watch men's cycling Grand Tour race live

The UCI World Tour road cycling stage race season kicks back into full swing this weekend after a break for the Olympic Games with the third and final Grand Tour of the men's season: the 79th Vuelta ciclista a España, the Tour of Spain.

This year, it runs from Saturday 17 August through to Sunday 8 September, and will cover over 3,300km (over 2,050 miles) of racing across 21 stages in southern Europe's Iberian Peninsula. The race begins in Lisbon, Portugal, the second time the Spanish stage race has begun in its neighbour after it hosted La Vuelta's first ever international start in 1997, and ends as is traditional in the Spanish capital Madrid.

Of the 21 stages, two are individual time trials, eight are classed as high mountain stages, five as medium mountain stages, five as hilly or uneven stages, and just one as a flat stage.

Sepp Kuss of the USA (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) is the defending champion and returns to lead of his team, looking to become a repeat winner of the race. The three-time champion Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, who won for Visma from 2020 through 2022, is also in the race for Bora-Hansgrohe.

A total of 176 riders from 22 teams will take to the start line in Lisbon on Saturday aiming to make it to the finish line in Madrid. This is what you need to know about this year's La Vuelta.

• Sepp Kuss: The USA cycling domestique who became a Grand Tour winner (2023)

Vuelta a España 2024 riders to watch

Aside from both Kuss and Roglic, who between them have won four of the last five Vuelta general classifications (GC), there are some strong contenders on other teams, including from home Spanish riders.

INEOS Grenadiers are handing the race leadership to home hope Carlos Rodríguez, while his compatriots Mikel Landa (Soudal - Quick-Step) and Enric Mas (Movistar Team) will also be expected to do well.

It remains to be seen whether Movistar opt for a dual-pronged strategy, with 2016 winner Nairo Quintana of Colombia back in their team. The same can be said of UAE Team Emirates, who have two bona-fide leaders in Adam Yates of Great Britain and João Almeida, who will want to do well on his three home stages in Portugal.

Other GC hopefuls include Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Tokyo 2020 Olympic road race champion Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek).

However, neither the Paris 2024 Olympic road race and time trial champion Remco Evenepoel nor Giro d'Italia and Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar are racing.

Key stages of the 2024 Vuelta a España

With just one flat road race stage included in this year's Vuelta parcours, the peloton has a lot of climbing ahead of it over the 21 stages.

Four districts of Portugal and 20 provinces of Spain in nine autonomous communities will play host to the race, which has a total of nine uphill finishes at altitude.

Many of these finishes are well-known in the recent history of the race: the Alto de Moncalvillo, which welcomes the end of Stage 19, made its debut in 2020 on a stage won by eventual champion Roglic; on the very next stage this year the race will end on the Picón Blanco, which made its first Vuelta appearance in 2021.

Other climbs, meanwhile, such as the Lagos de Covadonga, have formed part of many stages in the tour's past – although, for the first time this year, a stage will end on the majestic climb, which sees ramps of up to 16 per cent in gradient.

The nine stages with hilltop or mountaintop finishes are:

• Stage 4, ending on the Pico Villuercas at 1550m altitude, with an ascent of 14.6km at an average gradient of 6.2 per cent and maximum climbs of 20 per cent;
• Stage 6, ending in Yunquera on the Alto de las Abejas at 728m altitude, with an ascent of 8.9km at an average gradient of 3.9 per cent;
• Stage 8, ending on the Sierra de Cazorla at 1056m altitude, with an ascent of 4.8km at an average gradient of 7.1 per cent and maximum climbs of 20 per cent;
• Stage 12, ending at the Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda at 1488m altitude, with an ascent of 15.4km at an average gradient of 4.7 per cent;
• Stage 13, ending on the Puerto de Ancares at 973m altitude, with an ascent of 7.5km at an average gradient of 9.3 per cent and maximum climbs of 15 per cent;
• Stage 15, ending on the Cuitu Negru at 1847m altitude, with an ascent of 18.9km at an average gradient of 7.4 per cent and maximum climbs of 24 per cent;
• Stage 16, ending at the Lagos de Covadonga at 1069m altitude, with an ascent of 12.5km at an average gradient of 6.9 per cent and maximum climbs of 16 per cent;
• Stage 19, ending on the Alto de Moncalvillo at 1491m altitude, with an ascent of 8.6km at an average gradient of 8.9 per cent and maximum climbs of 16 per cent; and
• Stage 20, ending on the Picón Blanco at 1498m altitude, with an ascent of 7.9km at an average gradient of 9.1 per cent and maximum climbs of 18 per cent.

With just a single truly flat stage, this race is not one for the pure sprinters. There is no team time trial on the race this year, and unlike many recent years where the final stage has been a procession into Madrid, the 2024 Vuelta a España ends with an individual time trial, allowing for late changes to the GC standings.

Full route of 2024 Vuelta a España

• 17 August: Stage 1, Lisbon – Oeiras (individual time trial, 12km)
• 18 August: Stage 2, Cascais – Ourém (194km)
• 19 August: Stage 3, Lousã – Castelo Branco (191.2km)
• 20 August: Stage 4, Plasencia – Pico Villuercas (170.5km)
• 21 August: Stage 5, Fuente del Maestre – Sevilla (177km)
• 22 August: Stage 6, Carrefour Jerez Sur, Jerez de la Frontera – Yunquera (185.5km)
• 23 August: Stage 7, Archidona – Córdoba (180.5km)
• 24 August: Stage 8, Úbeda – Cazorla (159km)
• 25 August: Stage 9, Motril – Granada (178.5km)
• 26 August: Rest Day 1, Vigo
• 27 August: Stage 10, Ponteareas – Baiona (160km)
• 28 August: Stage 11, Campus Tecnológico Cortizo, Padron – Campus Tecnológico Cortizo, Padron (166.5km)
• 29 August: Stage 12, Ourense Termal – Estación de Montaña de Manzaneda (137.5km)
• 30 August: Stage 13, Lugo – Puerto de Ancares (176km)
• 31 August: Stage 14, Villafranca del Bierzo – Villablino (200.5km)
• 1 September: Stage 15, Infiesto – Valgrande-Pajares, Cuitu Negru (143km)
• 2 September: Rest Day 2, Oviedo
• 3 September: Stage 16, Luanco – Lagos de Covadonga (181.5km)
• 4 September: Stage 17, Monumento Juan de Castillo, Arnuero – Santander (141.5km)
• 5 September: Stage 18, Vitoria-Gasteiz – Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki (179.5km)
• 6 September: Stage 19, Logroño – Alto de Moncalvillo (173.5km)
• 7 September: Stage 20, Villarcayo – Picón Blanco (172km)
• 8 September: Stage 21, Distrito Telefónica, Madrid – Madrid (individual time trial, 24.6km)

How to watch the 2024 Vuelta a España

Here is a list of live television broadcasters around the world, many of which also offer digital livestream coverage too.

Europe

• Belgium: VRT
• Czechia: Tipsport
• Denmark: TV2
• Netherlands: NOS
• Norway: TV2 Norway
• Pan-Europe: Eurosport
• Spain: RTVE

Americas

• Brazil: ESPN
• Canada: FloBikes
• Colombia: Caracol
• Latin America and the Caribbean: ESPN
• United States: NBC Sports, Peacock

Asia-Pacific

• Australia: SBS
• China: Zhibo TV
• Japan: J Sports
• New Zealand: Sky Sport
• South-East Asia: Eurosport

Middle East and Africa

• Middle East and North Africa: BeIN Sports
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Supersport