Last year, Torrox hosted the start of the Ruta del Sol’s first stage. Back then, the riders tackled a mountainous route before finishing in nearby Nerja, where Maxim Van Gils outsprinted Tim Wellens and Pavel Sivakov.
This time, the peloton passes through Nerja shortly after the start while heading east along the Mediterranean coast. The route is constantly undulating and remains so as the riders turn inland at Almuñécar after roughly 30 kilometres. At Otívar, the rolling terrain gives way to the day’s main climb. The Puerto de la Cabra serves up 25.1 kilometres at an average gradient of 4.6%. The first 11.8 kilometres are entirely uphill at 6.1%. After that, short downhills alternate with uphill drags, often on bad tarmac.
Upon reaching the highest point, the riders stay on a plateau for around 10 kilometres. They then enter a long descent to Fornes. After skirting the Los Bermejales reservoir, the road rises over 3.9 kilometres at 6.6%, before a long, gradual descent leads to the Alto de la Malahá: 2.6 kilometres at 4.3%.
There are still 13 kilometres to go at that point. The first 5 kilometres are downhill, after which the road rises gently over the final 8 kilometres to the finish in Otura.
Four years ago, Otura hosted its last Ruta del Sol stage finish. On that occasion, the then 19-year-old Magnus Sheffield surprised the sprinters with a late attack, although both the finale and route were very different from this year’s.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 2nd stage 2026 Ruta del Sol.
Stage 2 of the Ruta del Sol starts at 12:10 and the race is expected to finish around 15:40 – both local times (CET).
Ruta del Sol 2026 – stage 2: routes & profiles
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