Vuelta a España - Stage 21

Updated: August 21, 2023

The final stage of this year’s Vuelta a España starts in the Zarzuela Hippodrome in the northwest of Madrid, before heading into the centre of the capital for a criterium-style race to the finish line. The first part of stage 21 will see the peloton circle around the outer edge of the city, which is essentially a 45km warm-up for the circuits where the racing will really happen.

The circuit, which has become a traditional finishing place for the Vuelta a España and previously the women’s Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta, is in the shape of a three-pointed star with the road heading out towards a hairpin bend and then back into the centre of the star, three times per lap. The sharp, 180-degree bends can be quite technical, but the long straights make the racing really fast. It’s short at just under 6km, and the peloton will complete 10 trips around the circuit.

Similar to the Champs Élysées stage of the Tour de France, this is often a day of celebration for the race winner, but then a very fast and hard race once the riders hit the circuit. Non-sprinters will try to attack, and it can be hard to bring back strong riders, whilst the sprinters’ teams will be organising for a bunch kick, where it will be down to whoever has survived the final week to battle it out for one last victory.

Speed will of course be the main decider of who wins here, but the criterium-style racing also demands a certain level of tactical nous, knowing when to go, how to position yourself, and where to spend your energy. Pure power and speed alone won’t be enough to win, so don’t expect a totally straightforward sprint - it could get a little messy, and Madrid often delivers a surprising winner, with unexpected sprinters often fairing better than the pure fastmen after a hard three weeks of racing.

We’ll be showing live and on-demand coverage of all 21 stages of this year’s Vuelta a España from Saturday, August 26 to Sunday, September 17, plus daily expert analysis on The Breakaway. Head over to GCN+ now to check the start times of each broadcast so that you don’t miss out on a moment of the action! As always, territory restrictions will apply.

Major Races

See All

Date	Event	Class
29 Jun - 21 Jul	Tour de France	2.UWT
12 Aug - 18 Aug	Tour de France Femmes	2.WWT
4 May - 26 May	Giro d'Italia	2.UWT
28 Apr - 5 May	Vuelta España Femenina	2.WWT

Provided by FirstCycling