Costa Blanca and Murcia to host stage eight and nine of this year’s ‘COLOSSAL’ Vuelta

Spain’s greatest cycle race, La Vuelta 2023, holds its 78^th edition this year, described by organisers as ‘colossal’. Beginning in Barcelona on August 26 and finishing in Madrid on September 17. The three-week race consists of 21 stages and covers a total of 3153.8 kilometres. Twenty-three teams from around Europe with 184 riders from all over the world will take part, including the British team Ineos Grenadiers.

This year there are two not-to-be-missed stages in the south of Spain.

The Costa Blanca is the focus of attention on Saturday 2^nd September. Stage eight will be from the coastal city of Dénia to Xorret de Catí. Dénia is one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities of Gastronomy, along with its 20 kilometres of sandy beaches and rocky coves it has strong connections with the sea, another good reason to visit. The finish line is some 164.8 kilometres away in the Costa Blanca interior, with the challenging climb of the Xorret de Catí, which has gradients of more than 22 per cent.

Sunday 3^rd September sees Murcia play host to stage nine, the most southerly part of the route. The race will depart from Cartagena, with its famous Roman theatre. Cartagena has twice hosted La Vuelta, the last time was in 1976. From there the race will follow the 180.9km route to Collado de la Cruz de Caravaca, with its renowned festival: Los Caballos del Vino. This will be the third time La Vuelta finishes in Caravaca de la Cruz and is part of the promotion plan for the Holy Year 2024 financed with €1m by the regional government.

Live coverage and highlights of the race will be shown on RTVE and Eurosport.

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