La Vuelta 2022
The Vuelta a España rightly ranks among the “Grand Tours,” the three most important stage races in world cycling. The 77th edition in 2022 lived up to that reputation once again: riders covered more than 3,280 kilometers across 21 stages. From August 19 to September 11, cycling fans once more enjoyed top-class sport, big emotions, and stunning landscapes.
Summary
It was thrilling right to the end. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, riding for the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team, brought a Grand Tour victory back to his home country for the first time in 44 years.
That success was anything but preordained. At 22, he was still coming back from a heavy crash at the 2020 Giro di Lombardia. He needed months to recover and his return in 2021 was difficult. But in 2022 he fought his way back and won his first.
Even so, Evenepoel didn’t start in Spain as the favorite. That status clearly belonged to Primož Roglič, the three-time defending champion. After a crash at the Tour de France, his participation was uncertain, but once the race began those doubts vanished. The Slovenian rode strongly until an unfortunate crash on the finishing straight of Stage 17 forced him to abandon. By then, Evenepoel had already built more than a minute’s lead over the title favorite.
The 22-year-old Belgian held that advantage comfortably all the way to Madrid and finished over two minutes ahead of second place. He claimed not only the red leader’s jersey overall but also the white jersey as best young rider. Richard Carapaz benefited from the enforced withdrawal of Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who had led the mountains classification. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) wrapped up the points classification with ease.
Route
Stages & Route
The 2022 Vuelta did not actually start in Spain but in the Netherlands. Stage 1 opened with a 23.3 km team time trial—perfect for a country of cyclists and big crowds. The stage started and finished in Utrecht, making it a tempting day trip for fans from neighboring Germany.
After three flat days in the Netherlands, the race transferred by plane to Spain on the first rest day. A special touch: the overall leader did not wear the classic Maillot Rojo in the Dutch stages. Santini designed a “King of the Netherlands” jersey—an elegant nod to the leader’s jersey for this section.
Racing resumed on August 23 in the Basque Country: from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Bilbao, the route crossed all Basque regions. From there, most stages were mountain days, punctuated only by the occasional flat stage, a rest day, and an individual time trial—clear terrain for the climbers!
One sequence proved especially brutal: after a summit finish at Sierra de la Pandera on Stage 14, Stage 15 piled on roughly 4,000 meters of climbing and a final ascent to Alto de la Hoya at 2,510 meters—an absolute ordeal. Reaching the Sierra Nevada ski station, riders were rewarded with sweeping views over Granada province. Those vistas—and the challenge—also inspired that stage’s special jersey.
After a well-earned rest day, the Vuelta continued through southern Spain. For the first time ever, the race visited all eight Andalusian provinces—not just Granada—highlighting Spain’s history and its autonomous regions.
The winner would likely be decided on Stage 20: on the final mountain stage, teams would throw everything into one last shake-up of the general classification.
The classic finale on September 11 was a flat route of just under 100 kilometers—offering limited chances to increase any gaps. Stage 21 ran through the heart of Madrid and was a special day for fans and riders alike.
The finale’s special jersey referenced the capital with the city crest on the back and also the two host countries: the large red stripe for Spain—the focus of La Vuelta—and a smaller orange stripe as a tribute to the Dutch Grand Départ.
Our Favorites
Favorites
Three-time titleholder Primož Roglič was nursing injuries and might not even start; his biggest rival, Tadej Pogačar, surprisingly skipped the Vuelta. The field was wide open, and we expected the battle for the jerseys to go down to the final stages!
Here are the teams and riders to watch especially closely:
Jumbo-Visma
The 2022 Tour de France was a dream for Team Jumbo-Visma: Jonas Vingegaard dethroned the “dominator” Pogačar, winning both the overall and the mountains classifications. Wout van Aert wowed fans with multiple stage wins, the green jersey, and tireless teamwork.
But the Tour was also a nightmare for one man: Primož Roglič. After winning La Vuelta three years running—2019, 2020, 2021—his heavy Tour crash put even his Vuelta start in doubt, and the enforced break hurt his preparation.
Vingegaard opted out of the Vuelta, so he couldn’t step in. The team kept its final strategy close to the vest—might Wout van Aert, after his stellar Tour, even target the overall? He’s not a pure climber, but his performances in the mountains certainly left room for debate.
Bora-Hansgrohe
thrilled home fans with gritty, emotional racing—especially Lennard Kämna—but fell short of its own expectations at the Tour.
For La Vuelta the team leaned on the trio that delivered the Giro d’Italia title: overall winner Jai Hindley alongside Emanuel Buchmann and Wilco Kelderman. The “Giro trident” hoped to carry that Grand Tour success into Spain.
As one of just two pure sprinters at the Vuelta, Martin Laas could eye the green jersey—though it remained to be seen if that fit Bora’s strategy. A further complication: the overlap with the Deutschland Tour, a must-race for the German squad.
UAE Team Emirates
UAE faced criticism for racing Pogačar too often. His Tour de France second place—still superb—might have reflected accumulated fatigue.
The Slovenian and the team seemed to adjust, so Pogačar withdrew from the Vuelta. Teammate João Almeida, fourth overall at the Giro before a COVID withdrawal, could step up and was a prime favorite for the young rider classification.
Ineos Grenadiers
Like Jai Hindley, Richard Carapaz skipped the Tour to focus fully on La Vuelta. Rested, prepared, and supported by a strong squad, he had an excellent chance of wearing red in Madrid.
For the Ineos Grenadiers, that would mark a long-awaited triumph. After years of dominance as Team Sky, the current roster had struggled to match past success—until signs of resurgence at the Tour: Geraint Thomas finished a strong third, and rising star Tom Pidcock claimed a big mountain stage and 17th overall.
All Participating Teams
The following automatically qualified UCI WorldTeams took the start:
- AG2R Citroën Team, France
- Astana Qazaqstan Team, Kazakhstan
- Bahrain Victorious, Bahrain
- Bora-Hansgrohe, Germany
- Cofidis, France
- EF Education-EasyPost, USA
- Groupama-FDJ, France
- Ineos Grenadiers, Great Britain
- Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, Belgium
- Israel-Premier Tech, Israel
- Lotto-Soudal, Belgium
- Movistar Team, Spain
- Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Belgium
- Team BikeExchange-Jayco, Australia
- Team DSM, Netherlands
- Jumbo-Visma, Netherlands
- Trek-Segafredo, USA
- UAE Team Emirates, UAE
And the wildcard invitees:
- Alpecin-Deceuninck, Belgium
- Arkéa-Samsic, France
- B&B Hotels-KTM, France
- Burgos BH, Spain
- Equipo Kern Pharma, Spain
- Euskaltel-Euskadi, Spain
Classifications & Special Jerseys
The overall leader wears the Maillot Rojo—the red jersey, sometimes called “el Rojo.” It’s among the most prestigious jerseys in cycling.
The relatively new young rider classification mirrors the general classification but only for riders under 25. The most recent wearer of the Maillot Blanco (white jersey) was Gino Mäder of Bahrain Victorious. After a COVID-affected season, the Swiss hoped to leave his mark on the race.
The Maillot Verde (green jersey) rewards stage placings and intermediate sprints—sprinters’ territory. The rider with the most points leads the classification. The Maillot Lunares (white with blue polka dots) goes to the best climber; the harder and longer the climb, the more points on offer.
Beyond the official jerseys—including the special Dutch edition of the Maillot Rojo—the official supplier designed themed jerseys that deliver pro-level performance while capturing the race’s emotions. See all Vuelta 2022 jerseys and specials.
Final Thoughts
The previous Grand Tours—the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France—had already shown that cycling has largely adapted to COVID. Isolated infections remain inevitable, but for fans and riders the overall experience feels “like before”: captivating, unique, emotional.
Vuelta 2022 again highlighted how decisive cohesive team performance can be. Primož Roglič’s crash, however, brought fair play into the spotlight. Throughout the Tour de France, Jumbo-Visma faced criticism for aggressive tactics seen by some as risking crashes; many riders felt Roglič himself bore primary responsibility for his Tour exit.
A similar debate flared at the Vuelta. While many fans and the race jury saw no fault in Fred Wright—who tangled with Roglič—Jumbo-Visma publicly criticized him. Fellow riders pushed back, placing responsibility on Roglič’s own positioning and decisions.
Whether that public back-and-forth brings change remains to be seen. Everyone wants to avoid crashes, yet riders still race to win and take risks. Expect fair play to remain a live topic in the peloton.
