Vuelta 2020: a start in the Basque Country and 18 stages

The Vuelta organizer today unveiled details of the new configuration for the 2020 edition. Initially scheduled from August 15 to September 6, the Tour of Spain, if it takes place, will have 18 stages and will start from the Basque Country, with the Irun-Arrate stage. No new date has yet been determined.

Source: C.P / Photo credit: Photogomez Sport

The organizer of the Tour of Spain, in agreement with the International Cycling Union, has agreed to postpone the 75th edition of the race given the health situation in Europe. It was initially scheduled to take place from August 14 to September 6, starting from the Netherlands. After the cancellation of the official start, which was to take place in (Utrecht), Unipublic decided not to replace the first three stages and thus informed the International Cycling Union, and consequently the RFEC (Royal Spanish Cycling Federation), to allow them to work on reorganizing the calendar with a 20-day Vuelta instead of the 23 initially planned.

The 2020 Vuelta will start from the Basque Country with the Irun – Arrate stage, and will finish in Madrid. According to this new configuration, the 75th edition would go down in history with only 18 stages in total. The forced reorganization of the annual cycling calendar, following the global health crisis caused by Covid-19, has disrupted all planning. New dates have not yet been determined.

This decision was motivated by the exceptional situation that the health crisis has caused in all areas, including sport. “It’s true that when you design the race, you don’t expect to have to make changes of this magnitude, but we have to adapt to the current situation and understand that an official start is very difficult to replace at this stage due to all the institutional and logistical planning it entails,” said Vuelta director Javier Guillén.

With this new program, the 75th edition of the Vuelta would remain in many respects a historic race. It would be the first time in 35 years that it would have fewer than 21 stages. The last time was in 1985 (19 stages). The Basque Country would host the start of the event. The region has not hosted the first stage of the race for nearly five decades, in 1961, when the Tour of Spain started from San Sebastián, with a team time trial.

“The fact that we will have the passion for cycling typical of the Basque Country from day one makes it easier to accept this change of program,” added Javier Guillén. “In any case, we only hope that this unprecedented health crisis will soon be resolved, that we can all resume a normal life, including La Vuelta, which will return in 2021 to its usual format and duration of 21 stages and two rest days,” he concluded.