You will be hard-pressed to remember many Vueltas as challenging as the one we just presented to you. True to our DNA, we wanted La Vuelta 24 to reflect, once more, the innovation, tradition and toughness that has marked both the character and personality of our race in recent times.
If there is one thing that truly defines the route of the race’s 2024 edition it is its difficulty, reflected in its nine high-altitude finales and in the return of such legendary and historical climbs as Lagos de Covadonga, El Purche or Hazallanas, in Sierra Nevada – none of which have ever been attempted immediately after a rest day. More recent discoveries include Moncalvillo and some infernal slopes, such as those of the Cuitu Negru.
La Vuelta’s innovative character in recent years is reflected in the appearance of ten new departures and six new finish-lines, as well as in the discovery of roads that have yet to be explored. An example of this are the last unprecedented kilometres to the Cazorla finish-line and the new slope of the Ancares Mountain Pass.
This edition’s mid-mountain also plays a special part, where important mountain passes that pose enormous challenges are called upon to mark the race’s development. For La Vuelta, looking up to the sky is nothing more than an easy metaphor for its route, consisting of numerous kilometres where the road points upwards.
The story of La Vuelta 24 will begin in Lisbon, Oeiras and Cascais. Although this beginning is just the continuation of another story that began a few years ago: In 1997, Lisbon became the first foreign city to host a Grand Departure for La Vuelta. Today, 27 years later, the story continues starring two new cities.
After starting in Portugal, La Vuelta will then delve deep into Spain in order to cover nine autonomous communities before concluding in Madrid. The Lisbon-Madrid connection that will feature in La Vuelta, as they host the starting line and finish line respectively, is a reflection of the close ties between the two cities, two countries and two kindred cultures.
As always, Madrid will be present in this new edition with its characteristic innovative character. Last year, thousands of people lined the roads, in what became known as the ‘Etapa de los barrios de Madrid’ (or the ‘Districts of Madrid Stage’). This year, we will experience an exciting and different kind of finale, with an individual time trial that will determine the winner of La Vuelta.
We eagerly await your presence from the 17th of August onwards in Lisbon, Oeiras and Cascais to have a beautiful, innovative and traditional edition of La Vuelta. A challenging Vuelta whose roads will, on many occasions, be looking up to the sky. – www.lavuelta.es
