Vuelta 2026 Route stage 11: Cartagena - Lorca

Wednesday 2 September - Stage 11 of the Vuelta a España is a largely flat 153.8-kilometre ride from Cartagena to Lorca. The riders face no more than 1,351 metres of elevation gain.

Last updated: 2 September 2026 – link to the results added

Race type: flat stage
Likely winner: sprinters
Weather forecast: high temperatures, light winds

Cartagena literally means 'new city'. Yet there's nothing particularly new about it, as it was founded in the third century BC by the Carthaginians. While they explored new territories by sea, the peloton does so by land. That said, the opening 40 kilometres run along the coast. Two modest climbs stand out in that section: 1.8 kilometres at 5.5% and 2.4 kilometres at 4.7%.

After leaving the Costa Cálida behind at Los Alcázares, the race heads across the flat roads of the Murcia region towards Totana. There, the riders take on the day's only classified climb, the Alto de Aledo. It's a steady ascent of 9.5 kilometres at an average gradient of 4.2%, although it does become slightly steeper towards the summit.

From the top, 29.5 kilometres remain. Apart from a few gentle false-flat rises and the final 5 kilometres on the flat, it's virtually all downhill on modest gradients.

Assuming it comes down to a sprint, it will be a rather unusual one. Just a few hundred metres from the finish, the riders will almost come to a standstill as they negotiate a sharp left-hander onto the fnishing straight.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 11th stage 2026 Vuelta a España.

Another interesting read: results 11th stage 2026 Vuelta a España.