How to watch La Vuelta a Espana: TV channel, live stream and start times

The third and final Grand Tour of the men’s cycling year is underway in Spain as La Vuelta a Espana returns.

A high quality field has been assembled for the three-week race, with a route that also takes in trips into Andorra and France.

Remco Evenepoel, of Soudal-QuickStep, is back to defend the red jersey he won for the first time in 2022, with the young Belgian having recently shown good pre-race form by taking time trial victory at the World Championships in Glasgow.

His likeliest challengers come from Jumbo-Visma: Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, who secured the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia, are both part of an extremely strong unit that is seeking to become the first to sweep all three Grand Tours in a single calendar year in the modern era.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is La Vuelta a Espana?

The 78th edition of La Vuelta will be held between 26 August and 17 September. It consists of 21 stages, with two rest days, beginning in the Catalan city Barcelona and finishing in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the race on Eurosport 1, with every stage live on the channel. Ad-free coverage is available to subscribers to discovery+ or the Global Cycling Network (GCN). Free-to-air highlights are also available on Quest at 7pm BST after every stage.

Who are the general classification contenders?

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic (both Jumbo-Visma) will all hope to have the red jersey on their back at the end of the 21st stage, with the last three Grand Tour winners all in action in Spain.

With Tour de France runner-up Tadej Pogacar absent, talented young Spaniard Juan Ayuso iand Portugal’s Joao Almeida are UAE Team Emirates’ GC men, while Geraint Thomas leads the Ineos Grenadiers.