The Canaries could see a return of one of Europe’s biggest cycling races after an absence of almost four decades.
Along with the Tour de France and Italy’s Giro, Spain’s Vuelta a España makes up the trio of grand tours that keep cycling enthusiasts glued to their TV screens for weeks on end.
The event, which straddles late August and early September, takes the world’s top riders the length and breadth of the country but has not had any stages in the Canaries since 1988 due to the logistical difficulties.
Rumours arise every year concerning a possible return only to prove unfounded, but the last few days have seen extensive media coverage of an apparent agreement between the race organisers Unipublic and the authorities in Gran Canaria and Tenerife to bring the final stages of the gruelling 3-week test of endurance to the islands in September 2026.
According to the reports, a rest day for the riders will be used to transport the logistics needed for the 91st Vuelta and its massive entourage to the Canaries from the mainland – a distance of 1400 km – and then each of the two islands will host two stages, with the race culminating on Tenerife’s majestic Mount Teide, the highest point in Spain.
The news has yet to be confirmed by the organisers, with respected cycling journalist Alasdair Fotheringham reporting in Cycling News that, contrary to the ‘done deal’ message conveyed by the Spanish media, no agreement has been reached and the issue of the return to the Canaries is still a “work in progress”.
According to Fotheringham, a source at Unipublic told him that «when we have some news to communicate, we’ll do it through the official channels».
As many older fans of cycling will recall, the last time the race included stages in the Canaries, in 1988, Canarian pro-independence activists seized the publicity opportunity to sabotage the 35-km time trial between Telde and Las Palmas by placing hundreds of nails on the road to puncture competitors’ tyres.
The race was also hit by fierce complaints by riders that the return journey to the Spanish mainland was poorly organised and gave them little time to sleep before the next stage in Extremadura – a concern that would not arise if the final stages were held in the islands, as reported now.
Photo: RTVE
