All the options to follow the last grand tour of the year
The Vuelta a España begins in Barcelona on 26 August, concluding 21 stages later on the streets of Madrid on 17 September.
The Vuelta starts with a 14.8km team time trial around the streets of Barcelona. It’s now the only grand tour to regularly feature this format, which relies on a well-drilled rotation of riders to achieve the best time.
Although it’s fallen out of favour, the team time trial provides more of a spectacle than an individual race against the clock as a starter to the racing.
After heading north for an initial brush with the Pyrenees and a stage finish in Andorra, the race turns tail and takes in the east coast of Spain.
A long rest day to transfer north is followed by a 25.8km individual time trial on Stage 10, before the race takes in the Col du Tourmalet and the steep climbs of northern Spain, including the feared Angliru.
Heading back south, the Vuelta finishes with its traditional circuits of the streets of Madrid.
Remco Evenepoel will be looking to repeat his win of last year, but the headline has to be Jumbo-Visma’s double act of three-time winner Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard, fresh from his second consecutive Tour de France win.
A fourth win would put Roglič level with Roberto Heras’ record number of Vuelta victories in the EPO-soaked 2000s.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2023 live in the UK?
Eurosport will show live coverage of the Vuelta a España 2023 and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option. Coverage times are to be confirmed.
A Eurosport/Discovery+ subscription costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. It’s available on a range of platforms including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast, or AirPlay, Android TV or Apple TV.
You can also watch the Vuelta a España on GCN+, with coverage times to be confirmed, although expect to be able to view each stage in its entirety and ad-free. GCN+ usually includes both daily highlights and analysis in its coverage, as well as the live action.
A monthly subscription to GCN+ costs £6.99, the same as Discovery+; an annual subscription to GCN+ costs £39.99.
ITV is listed on the La Vuelta site as having broadcast rights to highlights, although we haven’t had confirmation yet that it will be showing the race. Watch this space for updates.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2023 live in the US?
Live US coverage of the Vuelta a España will be on Peacock, with a full schedule and start times shown here. Some stages will also be shown on CNBC.
A subscription to Peacock costs $5.99 a month, while a Premium Plus subscription is priced at $11.99 a month, offering ad-free coverage and the option to watch certain titles offline. Sign up for a year and the price for both subscriptions is discounted by 17 per cent.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2023 live in Australia?
SBS will be covering the Vuelta a España live and on demand on SBS Viceland, with live coverage of Stage 1 starting at 2.50am on Sunday 27 August on the East Coast. With live coverage of most stages starting around 11pm, this might be one to pick up on demand.
The full schedule is here.
GCN+ also has rights to the Vuelta a España in Australia, so you’ll have the same coverage options as in the UK and US.
How else can I watch the Vuelta a España 2023?
There’s live terrestrial coverage in many European countries, with Spanish chain RTVE showing the racing live and on demand. If you have a VPN, you may be able to sign in to watch, complete with Spanish commentary to get the full Vuelta experience.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2023 if I can’t watch live coverage?
YouTube is a good option if you want shorter highlights and you don’t have on-demand access to any of the above sources. You can also watch short highlight videos on the Vuelta a España site.
Both are also good sources for highlights of previous editions to get you geared up for the racing.