CyclistVuelta a Espaa 2024: Route, start list, how to watch and all you need to knowThe 2024 Vuelta a Espaa rounds off this years selection of Grand Tours. Now tired of winning three-week races, Tadej Pogaar will not compete at the Vuelta this year. Neither Jonas Vingegaard nor Remco Evenepoel will take the startline on Saturday 17th August in Lisbon either. Without these galacticos, the Vuelta a Espaa is expected to be the most tightly fought Grand Tour of the year.Battling to wear the red jersey in Madrid will be Pogaars UAE Team Emirates colleagues JooAlmeida and Adam Yates, three-time Vuelta winner Primo Rogli, Tour de France polka-dot jersey winner Richard Carapaz, perennial Vuelta podium finisher Enric Mas, Sasha Vlasov of Red Bull-Bora and Carlos Rodrguez of Ineos Grenadiers.The reigning champion Sepp Kuss will return to the Vuelta after taking the title last year in exceptional circumstances. The American missed the Tour last month due to a Covid infection, however, he has returned to winning ways at the Vuelta a Burgos just one week before the Vuelta.Standing between these contenders and the maillot rojo is a brutal three-week course around Spain littered with tough mountain stages and steep ramps. This is all part and parcel of the Vuelta a Espaa. In 2024, there are seven uphill finishes, including a return to the Lagos de Covadonga. For sprinters, the Vuelta might be worth skipping. There is only one classified sprint stage on offer at the 2024 race. Despite this, Wout van Aert has announced that he will make his Vuelta debut this year. Vuelta a Espana 2024: Key informationUNIPUBLIC / SPRINT CYCLING AGENCYDates: Saturday 17th August to Sunday 8th September 2024Start: Lisbon, PortugalFinish:Madrid, SpainTelevision coverage:Eurosport, Discovery+Most wins: Roberto Heras (four)2023 winner: Sepp KusssVuelta a Espaa 2024 routeThis years Vuelta route is all over the place. The route is spread out across the west, north and south of Spain. After a Catalan opening to the race last year, the route steers clear of Catalonia and the Pyrenees.The Vuelta finally makes a long-awaited return to neighbouring Portugal. It has been 27 years since Portugal last hosted the Gran Partida of the Vuelta. In 2024, the Spanish race reconnects with the capital Lisbon for an opening time-trial.After three days in Portugal, the race travels to Spain with some early mountain stages. After the first rest day, the race transitions to the northwestern corner of Spain for some hilly affairs. The second week of racing rounds off with some brutal mountain stages in Asturias finishing atop the Cuitu Negru and the Lagos de Covadonga. After a final rest day, the racing resumes on the Bay of Biscay coastline. One final summit finish to Picn Blanco in Burgos will send the riders off down to the capital for the final stage.In total, the 2024 Vuelta covers a distance of 32,655km across all 21 stages. 36km will be against the clock (on Stages 1 and 21). There are eight mountain stages, ten hilly stages and just one flat stage in this years route. In typical Vuelta style, seven stages finish uphill.Vuelta a Espaa 2024 stage-by-stage previewStage 1: Saturday 17th August, Lisbon Oeiras, 12km, TTTAfter a year-long hiatus, prologues make their return at the Vuelta. Stage 2: Sunday 18th August, Cascais Ourm, 194kmThe peloton follows the Portuguese Atlantic coast for the first road stage. Theres a climb close to the end but expect a somewhat uniform bunch sprint.Stage 3: Monday 19th August, Lous Castelo Branco, 191.2kmThe last day in Portugal will be another deceiving day. Chances are, the sprinters will stick around for another crack.Stage 4: Tuesday 20th August, Plasencia Pico Villeurcas, 170.4kmDay four and we are back on Spanish soil. To welcome the riders home, a brute of a mountain stage awaits. The final climb to Pico Villeurcas will ramp up to gradients in excess of 13% at points.Stage 5: Wednesday 21st August, Fuente del Maestre Seville, 177kmThe much-awaited sole sprint stage. The organisers have dedicated this one day to the sprinters, so they better not waste the opportunity.Stage 6: Thursday 22nd August, Jerez de la Frontera(Carrefour) Yunquera, 185.5kmStage 6 will start at a supermarket. Yes, you read that correctly. French supermarket Carrefour will host the start of the stage inside one of their stores in Jerez. Dont let that take away from the stage, its a tough one.Stage 7: Friday 23rd August, Archidona Crdoba, 180.2kmThis is a paint-by-numbers Vuelta transitional stage.Stage 8: Saturday 24th August, beda Cazorla, 158.7kmStage 8 is a real bread-and-butter day for Vuelta breakaways. Part of me hopes that the arrival town is a footballing homage to the Spanish Arsenal football star of the same name.Stage 9: Sunday 25th August, Mortil Granada, 184.5kmThe final day of racing before the first rest day comes in the south of the country. The profile to Granada is razor sharp with three big climbs. Well, one of the climbs the Alto de Hazallanas is featured twice in the final 50km.Stage 10: Tuesday 27th August, Ponteareas Baiona, 159.6kmAfter a well-deserved break, the racing resumes in Galicia. Stage 10 traces the rollercoaster-like terrain along the Spanish-Portugese border. Ill say it lightly, but this should be a corker of a stage.Stage 11: Wednesday 28th August, Cortizo Technology Campus Cortizo Technology Campus, 166.4kmStage 11 ups the stakes on strange stage locations. For this, the 11th stage starts and finishes at the Cortizo Technology Campus. These are the headquarters for a metal manufacturer it seems. Regardless, the stage has hills in abundance.Stage 12: Thursday 29th August, lvega Estacin de Montaa de Manzaneda, 137.4kmFirst summit finish of week two. Bulky mountain stage with one real meaty climb.Stage 13: Friday 30th August, Lugo Puerto de Ancares, 175.6kmNow were getting into real GC territory. 7km at 9% for the final climb. Oof.Stage 14: Saturday 31st August, Villafranca del Bierzo Villablino, 200.4kmThe longest stage of this years Vuelta and its barely over the 200km marker. To add to the difficulty, theres a downhill finish. What could possibly go wrong?Stage 15: Sunday 1st September, Infiesto Cuitu Negru, 142.9kmThe Cuitu Negru is savage. This top-rated climb ramps up to a 13% average gradient over the final 3km. This is one spiteful way to round out week two.Stage 16: Tuesday 3rd September, Luanco Lagos de Covadonga, 181.3kmTheres no rest for the wicked. After the second rest day, the riders take on the Lagos de Covadonga. This climb made all the difference at the 2021 race, so expect this to be closely targeted by the GC favourites.Stage 17: Wednesday 4th September, Monumento Juan de Castillo Arnuero Santander, 141.5kmFinally, theres another chance for the sprinters. To be fair, theres a real test halfway through that might dampen their spirits.Stage 18: Thursday 5th September, Vitoria Gasteiz Maeztu-Parque Natural de Izki, 179.3kmWelcome to the Basque Country. The Vuelta settles down with a relatively straightforward profile on Stage 18. This might be the last chance for a sprint at the 2024 race.Stage 19: Friday 6th September, Logroo Alto de Moncailvillo, 177.5kmThe final weekend of the Vuelta begins with a tough mountaintop finish. The final 5km of the stage will be over 10% with a maximum gradient of 16%. Ouch.Stage 20: Saturday 7th September, Villarcayo Picn Blanco, 172kmThe last road stage of the 2024 race is a nasty one. Seven categorised climbs and a category 1 finish to Picn Blanco. 8km at 9%, the Picn Blanco is a hard-knuckle way to close the head-to-head GC fight.Stage 21: Sunday 8th September, Distrito Telefnica Madrid, 24.6kmBring out the TT bikes, its time-trial day. 24.6km in length, the final stage starts at a telecommunications office and ends in central Madrid.Vuelta a Espana 2024: Live TV guideUNIPUBLIC / SPRINT CYCLING AGENCYEurosport 1 will be providing extensive live coverage of all 21 stages as well as evening highlights. The Eurosport coverage is streamed online via Discovery+, which offers uninterrupted live coverage, including Eurosports The Breakaway headed up by Orla Chennaoui. A Discovery+ subscription currentlycosts 6.99 per month with the basic package, which includes cycling and all other Eurosport programmes. Highlights packages will also be available on all broadcasters channels and short highlights on YouTube. In the UK, free-to-air highlights will be available on ITV4 in the evening after each stage.If its not being shown in your country, you may be able to watch coverage using a VPN Virtual Private Network which allows users to mask their IP address and watch geo-blocked content, provided they dont need to pay for a subscription. This is also helpful for watching paid-for coverage while abroad in countries without access. One such example isExpressVPN, which is verywell reviewed, helps users to find a way to watch cycling without having to pay for broadcasters services, and costs 5.36 per month, with three months free.Other options includeNordVPN,SurfsharkandKapersky.Read more:How to watch cycling post-GCN Official broadcastersAustralia: SBSBelgium: VRTBrazil: ESPNCanada: FloBikesChina: Zhibo TVColombia: CaracolDenmark: TV2Europe: EurosportJapan: J SportsLatin America and the Caribbean: ESPNMiddle East and North Africa: BeIN SportsNew Zealand: Sky SportNorway: TV2 NorwaySoutheast Asia: EurosportSpain: RTVESub-Saharan Africa: SupersportUnited States: NBC SportsBroadcast times TBAVuelta a Espaa 2024: Start listUNIPUBLIC / SPRINT CYCLING AGENCYData powered by FirstCycling.comThe post Vuelta a Espaa 2024: Route, start list, how to watch and all you need to know appeared first on Cyclist.