Vuelta a España stage 6 LIVE – Fireworks expected as gravel and steep climbs on the menu in Spain

Off we go – 177.5km and four categorised climbs to come.

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2026-08-27T11:05:51.527Z

Not the most successful start line selfie I’ve ever seen. Where is everyone else?

And they’re off!

A little earlier than planned but the peloton have just rolled out for the neutral.

2026-08-27T11:02:37.211Z

A scenic start this morning in Alcossebre on the coast.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-08-27T11:00:55.688Z

Want a closer look at the stage today?

Our preview has all the details of the route, plus Alasdair Fotheringham, who is on the ground for us, has been gathering intel from the peloton.

Today should be a really exciting stage in Spain, because not only is the Vuelta embracing gravel for the first time (something the other Grand Tours have experimented with already) but they’re going in hard with a gravel climb, the Puerto El Bartolo.

9.4km long with a punishing average gradient of 7%, this would be a hard climb in normal circumstance, but it’s made even trickier by the fact that the final kilometres are unpaved gravel.

And? It tops out with 20km to go on today’s stage… fireworks incoming. Here’s a closer look at the climb:

The stage will start in about 15 minutes.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España.

Follow along all day for live updates and commentary on the race.