The strong commitment to bringing high-level sports to the Canary Islands by public institutions is especially apparent on the island of Gran Canaria, which recently hosted the King’s Cup in basketball, was selected as a venue for the 2030 Football World Cup, and turned the Rally Islas Canarias for the first time in its history into a World Rally Championship event.
2026 will now be the new date to highlight in the calendars of sports and cycling enthusiasts. The intense negotiations over the last two years between the Cabildos of Gran Canaria and Tenerife with the company Unipublic, organizers of the Vuelta a España, will bring 38 years after the Spanish tour last took place on Canary roads, leading the peloton to conquer the legendary peaks of Pico de las Nieves and Teide in two stages, out of the four that will be developed on the two islands, which will determine the champions of our country’s quintessential cycling event and one of the top three in the world, along with the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia.
The Ministries of Sports and Tourism have once again joined forces to bring a world-class sporting event that will place the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife at the epicenter of world cycling during its passage through the island roads.
Decisive Stages in the Canary Islands
The agreement was reached last night in Tenerife and will be made public in the coming days with the details inherent to a negotiation that has been complicated but has finally succeeded in another management success by both Cabildos. It also represents an investment – around six million euros – that, like the other sporting events held in Gran Canaria, such as the Rally Islas Canarias or the King’s Cup in basketball, has brought immense economic returns, as well as influenced the perception of the Archipelago as an ideal destination to practice outdoor sports throughout the 365 days of the year.
The only previous precedent dates back to 1988, due to the logistical challenges of having to transport the entire peloton from the peninsula to the Archipelago. This 91st edition of the race will feature a total of four stages that will be decisive in determining the champion of the Vuelta a España, starting in Monaco and ending in the Canary Islands.
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