Monaco will host the Grand Departure of La Vuelta 26. This decision has been made official during an event held in the Yacht Club de Monaco with an agreement signed between H.E M. Pierre Dartout, Minister of State of the Principality, Yann Le Moenner, C.E.O. of Amaury Sport Organisation, and Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta, in the presence of H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco. The 81st edition of the race will, thus, celebrate a Grand Departure on international territory once again, following previous departures from Portugal, the Netherlands and France.
The race’s inaugural stage will take place entirely within Monaco’s territory, which will also host the departure of La Vuelta 26’s second stage. This way, La Vuelta will celebrate yet another international Grand Departure following those already held in Lisbon (1997), Assen (2009), Nîmes (2017) and Utrecht (2022), this time including Lisbon, Oeiras and Cascais in 2024.
In 2026, the Principality of Monaco will add the Spanish tour to the long list of large-scale sporting events that have already taken part along its streets. In terms of cycling, it already organised the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2009 and will, once again, play an important role in the French race by hosting the final time-trial that will connect Monaco and Nice during the final stage of the Tour de France 2024.
Monaco has ample experience hosting important international events, such as the Festival Internacional du Cirque de Monte-Carlo or the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, one of the world’s greatest sporting events that brings together global superstars in the world of sports and celebrity.
