Ruta del Sol 2026 Route stage 5: La Roda de Andalucía - Lucena

Sunday 22 February – The final stage of the Ruta del Sol is 167.8 kilometres long and features nearly 2,300 metres of climbing. The finale is the most demanding part, with a double ascent of a 2.8-kilometre climb at 5.9%. The second ascent is followed by a short drop leading onto a sharply rising final kilometre.

The riders roll out of La Roda de Andalucía, a small town in the province of Seville, to head north. The route is mostly gently rolling. A climb after 20 kilometres – 5.4 kilometres at 4.7% – is the toughest obstacle in the run-up to the finishing circuit around Lucena.

After 126 kilometres, the riders enter the circuit. It is tackled twice and features the Alto de la Primera Cruz on both occasions. The climb rises over 2.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.9%. From the summit, there are still 4.7 kilometres to go to the finish. Most of the run-in is downhill.

In recent years, Lucena has mainly hosted stage starts. The last time the Ruta del Sol finished there was in 2017, when the town in the province of Córdoba doubled as both start and finish for an individual time trial. Victor Campenaerts claimed the win, just 1 second ahead of Alejandro Valverde.

Further back, Juan José Lobato (2015) and Alejandro Valverde (2012) were successful in Lucena after road stages..

Intermediate sprints at Alto de la Primera Cruz offers 3, 2 and 1 bonus seconds each, while the first three riders at the finish gain 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 5th stage 2026 Ruta del Sol.

Another interesting read: results 5th stage + final GC 2026 Ruta del Sol.