Vuelta a España shortens stage 15 to 110 kilometres over 40C heat forecast

Route cut and delayed start

Race organizers Unipublic shortened Sunday's 15th stage of the Vuelta a España from Palma del Río to Córdoba by 79.5 kilometres due to extreme heat forecasts across Andalusia. The route was reduced from 189.7 kilometres to 110.2 kilometres after Spain's state meteorological agency issued an orange alert for temperatures reaching 39C to 40C. The extreme weather protocol was enacted following discussions between the College of Commissaires, team representatives, riders, and race director Javier Guillén. Organizers stated the intervention was intended to protect rider health while maintaining fair competition conditions. Both the starting town of Palma del Río and the finish line in Córdoba remain in place despite the distance reduction.

Due to the high temperatures forecast for tomorrow, La Vuelta has modified the route of stage 15 following the activation of the extreme weather protocol.

Course adjustments and revised schedule

The peloton will follow the original route through Posadas and climb the third-category Puerto de la Forestal, which measures 6.7 kilometres at a 4.1% average gradient. The primary alteration occurs at kilometre 52.3, where cyclists will turn onto the CO-3402 towards Santa María de Trassierra instead of following the A-3075 to Villaviciosa de Córdoba. This alteration bypasses the scheduled loop through Villaviciosa and Espiel, eliminating the Alto de Villaviciosa climb from the itinerary. The 5.9-kilometre Puerto Artafi ascent, averaging 5.5% gradient, remains as the final classified climb before the downhill run to Córdoba. Departure times were postponed by more than two hours, setting the neutralized start at 14:50 and the flying start at 15:00, because television broadcast commitments prevented moving the stage to the morning.

General classification after stage 14

The route modification follows Saturday's 154.5-kilometre 14th stage from Jaén to the summit of Sierra de la Pandera, where German rider Marco Brenner took the victory from a long-range breakaway. Brenner held off Colombian climber Santiago Buitrago to take the stage win, while Spain's Carlos Rodríguez finished third to enter the top ten overall. Red jersey holder Enric Mas consolidated his overall lead by finishing 25 seconds ahead of four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič. The result dropped Roglič to third place in the general classification, four seconds behind Austria's Felix Gall, who moved into second place overall. Mas now leads Gall by 2 minutes and 6 seconds, while Roglič sits 2 minutes and 10 seconds off the lead heading into the shortened 15th stage.

I had bad memories of this climb, because I think it was in 2022 that Primoz put 30-something seconds into me. Today was different. Luckily, it was the other way around.

Weather protocols across the Grand Tours

Sunday's modification marks the second time in 2026 that extreme temperatures have forced route reductions in a three-week race. Tour de France organizers ASO shortened the ninth stage in July by 30 kilometres after French authorities placed the Corrèze department on red alert during a heatwave exceeding 40C. Earlier in May, the Giro d'Italia faced route disruptions caused by snow and ice during high-altitude mountain stages. Professional cycling teams have increasingly deployed specialized cooling equipment, including ice vests, ice socks, and cold drinks, to manage elevated core body temperatures during competition. Enric Mas had previously warned about dangerous conditions following Friday's stage in Loja, where temperatures hovered near 40C.