The Basque Country will host the first three stages of the Vuelta a España 2022 after passing through the Netherlands. The three provinces will be protagonists: Álava on Tuesday 23 August, Gipúzcoa on Wednesday 24 and Vizcaya that same day and Thursday 25. Bilbao will start and finish in the same edition. The 77th edition will be held between August 19 and September 11. It will start in Utrecht (the Netherlands) on a Friday.
The round will start with a team time trial and will have two more rounds in northern territories. One between Hertogenbosch and Utrecht on the 20th and the third through the North Brabant region, with departure and arrival in Breda. Once the passage through the Netherlands is completed, all the logistics will be sent to the Foronda airport, a benchmark in air cargo, to develop the rest of the route through the Iberian Peninsula.
There will be a day of rest as a result of the needs of the transfer and then, the three provinces of Euskadi will be able to enjoy first level cycling. In the absence of officiality, on Tuesday it will run between Vitoria and Laguardia. It will be a totally Alava stage. In this way, Javier Guillén recognizes the continuous interest of the Provincial Council of Álava in demanding and hosting stages of the Spanish round. Behind the track will surely be the former cyclist Joseba Beloki.
Wednesday August 24 you will leave Irún and you will arrive in Bilbao. Land of ports and coasts, surely a beautiful stage will emerge with many alternatives. Two years ago, in the midst of a pandemic and when the Netherlands fell off the running, the border town offered to make the great start of the Vuelta and the organization is now rewarding it in this way. The arrival, in the capital of Biscay, is a classic appointment. The Gran Vía, San Mamés or the Guggenheim are common postcards in this test.
From Bilbao to an unprecedented peak
The Vuelta will leave the Basque Country Thursday, August 25, starting again in Bilbao. The capital of Biscay will host the Tour de France in 2023 and, being linked organizations, will serve as proof for the great event in two years. That stage, the sixth of the race, will end in the unprecedented Pico del Jano, in Cantabria. The last kilometers will have to be paved to be in good condition. All these details, and many more, will be announced on December 16, at IFEMA, at the presentation of Vuelta 2022.