Vuelta 2026 Route stage 10: Alcaraz - Elche de la Sierra

Tuesday 1 September -

The riders get little respite throughout the day. Right from the start, the road rises for 3.1 kilometres at 4.4%. Even after that, the asphalt continues climbing for a few more kilometres before finally dropping — but only for a short while.

Up and down, up and down, it’s an opening where potential breakaway riders can really let loose. An uncategorised stretch of 1.7 kilometres at 6.3% leads into the first climb offering KOM points, the Puerto de Tarbena: 6.7 kilometres at 5.4%. There’s no immediate descent either. First, the Coll de Rates adds another 1.5 kilometres at 6.2% before the riders finally get a brief relief in the form of a descent.

After 56 kilometres, the riders pass through Orba, and after a rolling section they tackle the Puerto El Miserat, a monster of 5.1 kilometres at 10.1%. Ready to descend? Not yet. Another 13 kilometres of undulating terrain brings them to the Port de Tollos, a 4-kilometre climb at 5.7%.

By the Tollos, the riders are roughly halfway. A descent with a few uphill kinks leads to the base of the Port de Tudons. On paper, it’s a straightforward climb of 11.7 kilometres at 4%, but that’s relative, considering what has already been done and what still lies ahead.

Immediately after the descent comes the Port de Benifallim, 4.8 kilometres at an average of 5.9%. The summit sits 46.8 kilometres from the finish, and many riders will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that half the remaining distance is downhill. There is a small climb of 2.4 kilometres at 5.3% roughly 5 kilometres into the descent, but after that, it’s downhill all the way to the foot of the final ascent.

And this one is a real monster. It starts with the Port de Tudons and finishes on a road that is usually closed — military terrain — as the riders make their way to the summit of the Alto de Aitana. The climb stretches a total of 21.2 kilometres, averaging 5.9%, with the final 6.6 kilometres ramping up to 7.8%.

Ten editions ago, the Vuelta also finished atop the Alto de Aitana. The then 22-year-old Pierre Latour soloed to victory, and it seemed as though a brilliant future lay ahead of him. That, however, did not fully materialise. In hindsight, it remains the biggest win of the recently retired Frenchman’s career. Latour followed in the footsteps of Damiano Cunego, who was victorious on the Aitana in 2009.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 10th stage 2026 Vuelta a España.