CyclistsĀ Hub is supported by its readers. We may receive a commission if you buy products using our links.
All content on Cyclists Hub is written by humans, not robots. Learn More
Vuelta an EspaƱa is the youngest cycling Grand Tour, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find some interesting data about its history and results. I compiled all Vuelta’s editions and visualized them in charts to see how this race developed.
The result is unique Vuelta a EspaƱa statistics and facts you have probably never heard about. They can give us valuable insights and satisfy our curiosity.
Let’s dive into the “best of” stats about the Spanish Grand Tour.
- Vuelta a EspaƱa 2024 Summary
- Vuelta a EspaƱa Total Distance
- Vuelta a EspaƱa Average Speed
- Number and Length of Vuelta a EspaƱa Stages
- Historical Extremes of Vuelta a EspaƱa
- Vuelta a EspaƱa Rider's Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)
- Overall Victories, Stage Wins, Days in Red…
- Riders with the Most Mountain & Points Classification Victories
- Summary
- Vuelta a EspaƱa Statistics FAQ
- Sources
Abbreviations used: GC – General Classification, GT – Grand Tour, BMI – Body Mass Index
I used publicly available data from wikipedia.org, procyclingstats.com, and the official Vuelta a EspaƱa lavuelta.es as data sources. Some data is not available (especially the rider’s weights/heights).
Please also keep in mind the following:
- The Vuelta a EspaƱa did not take place in the following years: 1937-1940, 1943-1944, 1949, 1951-1954
- The actual rider’s racing weight could vary.
Vuelta a EspaƱa 2024 Summary
The overall winner of the 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa is Primož RogliÄ (SLO). He finished 2:36 ahead of Ben O’Connor. RogliÄ covered the 3,265 km route, averaging 39.9 km/h.
The 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner is Kaden Groves (AU). He accumulated 226 points and won 3 stages (stage 2, stage 14, and stage 17).
The 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa mountain classification winner is Jay Vine (AU). He accumulated 78 points.
The best young rider (under 25 years) for the 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa is Mattias Skjelmose (DK).
Vuelta a EspaƱa Total Distance
Vuelta a EspaƱa is the youngest Grand Tour. The first edition took place in 1935. The 2nd and the 3rd editions were relatively long (4,407 and 4,406 km). These were the only 2 editions exceeding the 4,000 km mark.
The average Vuelta a EspaƱa length of all editions is 3,337 km. The average length was 3,060 km between 1960 and 1980, 3,543 km between 1980 and 2000, and 3,195 km between 2000 and 2020. The total length of the 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa is 3265 km.
Vuelta a EspaƱa Average Speed
The average Vuelta a EspaƱa speed of all editions is 36.99 km/h. The average speed was 36.81 km/h between 1959 and 1979 and 39.88 km/h between 1999 and 2019. The average speed of the 2022 Vuelta a EspaƱa was 40.79 km/h.
It is no surprise that the overall average speed increased. This is thanks to technological progress, better training methods, better diet, etc.
Number and Length of Vuelta a EspaƱa Stages
The number of Vuelta a EspaƱa stages varied in the first years (not as much as with other Grand Tours). For the last few years, it has remained the same (21), except for 2020, when the Vuelta was shortened to 18 stages.
The average Vuelta a EspaƱa stage length of all editions is 172 km (time trials included). It went down from 176 km between 1949-1979 to 160 km between 1989-2019. The average stage length of the 2024 Vuelta a EspaƱa is 155 km. This is the shortest stage average among all Grand Tours.
Historical Extremes of Vuelta a EspaƱa
Can you guess the longest and shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa edition?
The longest Vuelta a EspaƱa took place in 1936. Riders had to cover 4,407 km.
The shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa was the 1963 Vuelta; it was 2,442 km long.
The longest Vuelta a EspaƱa stage ever was the 6th stage of the 1935 edition. It was 310 km long.
The shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa stage ever was the individual time trial of the 1971 Vuelta, stage 11b. It was only 2.65 km long.
The fastest Vuelta a EspaƱa ever took place in 2003. The average speed of the winner was 42.53 km/h.
The slowest Vuelta a EspaƱa ever took place in 1948. The average speed of the winner was 25.72 km/h.
Interested in more statistics? I summarized Tour and Giro as well!
Vuelta a EspaƱa Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)
In this section, you learn how Vuelta a EspaƱa riderās height, weight, and BMI develop over time and how these data differ between riders for the general classification, climbers, and sprinters (all-rounders).
NOTE: The heights and weight data are unfortunately not available for all riders.
General Classification
The average height of a Vuelta a EspaƱa winner is 1.77 m.
The tallest Vuelta a EspaƱa winner ever was Chris Froome (Vuelta 2011, 2017). He is 1.86 m tall.
The shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa winner ever was JuliƔn Berrendero (Vuelta 1941, 1942). He was 1.62 m tall.
The average weight of a Vuelta a EspaƱa winner is 65.9 kg.
Gustaaf Deloor, who weighed 79 kg, was the heaviest Vuelta a EspaƱa winner. He won the 1935 and 1936 Vuelta.
The lightest Vuelta a EspaƱa winner was Simon Yates. He won the 2018 Vuelta, weighing just 58 kg.
I find the BMI chart the most interesting. Let’s quickly repeat what BMI means.
BMI uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. (Source)
Here is a quick guide on how to interpret these values:
- Below 18.5 – underweight,
- 18.5-24.9 – normal,
- 25.0-29.9 – overweight,
- 30.0 and above – obese.
With this know-how, we get a better understanding of the following values.
Vuelta a EspaƱa winners have an average BMI of 21.15.
The Vuelta a EspaƱa winner with the highest BMI was Gustaaf Deloor. He won the 1935 and 1936 Vuelta with a BMI of 24.66 (1.79 m, 79 kg).
The Vuelta a EspaƱa winner with the lowest BMI was Sepp Kuss. He won the 2023 Vuelta with a BMI of 18.42 (1.82 m, 61 kg).
Do you want to know how do you compare with pro riders? Feel free to calculate your BMI using the calculator below.
BMI CALCULATOR
Mountain Classification
The average height of a Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner is 1.75 m.
The tallest Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner ever is Luis LeĆ³n SĆ”nchez (Vuelta 2014). He is 1.86 m tall.
The shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner ever was Mariano DiƔz (Vuelta 1967). He was 1.59 m tall.
The average weight of a Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner is 66 kg.
The heaviest Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner was Luis LeĆ³n SĆ”nchez. He won the 2014 Vuelta mountain classification, weighing 73 kg.
The lightest Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner was Guillaume Martin. He won the 2020 Vuelta mountain classification, weighing just 55 kg.
Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winners have an average BMI of 21.40.
The Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner with the highest BMI was Mariano DĆaz. He won the 1967 Vuelta mountains classification with a BMI of 24.92 (1.59 m, 63 kg).
The Vuelta a EspaƱa mountains classification winner with the lowest BMI is Guillaume Martin. He won the 2020 Vuelta mountains classification with a BMI of 18.38 (1.73 m, 55 kg). This means he was underweight.
Points Classification
The average height of a Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner is 1.79 m.
The tallest Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner ever was Fabrizio Guidi (Vuelta 1998). He was 1.87 m tall.
The shortest Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner ever was Roberto Heras (Vuelta 2000). He was 1.72 m tall.
The average weight of a Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner is 70 kg.
The heaviest Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner was Rik Van Steenbergen. He won the 1956 points classification, weighing 83 kg.
The lightest Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner was Roberto Heras. He won the 2000 points classification, weighing just 59 kg.
A Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner has an average BMI of 21.92.
A Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner with the highest BMI was Rik Van Steenbergen (1.86 m, 83 kg). He won the 1956 Vuelta points classification with a BMI of 23.99.
A Vuelta a EspaƱa points classification winner with the lowest BMI was Chris Froome (1.86 m, 66 kg). He won the 2017 Vuelta points classification with a BMI of 19.08.
TIP: Don’t you have a bike yet? Feel free to browse my selection of the best bikes on the market.
Overall Victories, Stage Wins, Days in Red…
The rider with the most Vuelta a EspaƱa GC wins (4) is Roberto Heras, followed by Alberto Contador, Tony Rominger, and Primož RogliÄ (3).
The title for the most days (48) spent in the red jersey (Maillot Rojo) belongs to Alex ZĆ¼lle.
The following table shows the riders with the most Vuelta a EspaƱa stage wins.
| # | Rider | Wins |
| 1 | Delio RodrĆguez | 39 |
| 2 | Alessandro Petacchi | 20 |
| 3 | Laurent Jalabert Rik Van Looy | 18 |
| 4 | Sean Kelly | 16 |
| 5 | Gerben Karstens | 14 |
Riders with the Most Mountain & Points Classification Victories
According to the number of Mountain Classification victories, the best climber was JosĆ© Luis LaguĆa. He won this classification five times.
| # | Rider | Victories | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JosĆ© Luis LaguĆa David MoncoutiĆ© | 5 | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 |
| 2 | JosĆ© MarĆa JimĆ©nez | 4 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 |
| 3 | AndrƩs Oliva Antonio Karmany Emilio Rodriguez Julio JimƩnez | 3 | 1975, 1978, 1976 1960, 1961, 1962 1946, 1947, 1950 1963, 1964, 1965 |
According to the number of Points Classification victories, the best sprinters or all-rounders were Sean Kelly, Laurent Jalabert, and Alejandro Valverde. They won this classification four times.
| # | Rider | Victories | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Kelly Laurent Jalabert Alejandro Valverde | 4 | 1980, 1985, 1986, 1988 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018 |
| 2 | Erik Zabel | 3 | 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| 3 | Rik Van Looy Jan Janssen Uwe Raab Primož RogliÄ | 2 | 1959, 1965 1967, 1968 1990, 1991 2019, 2020 |
If you are into cycling and numbers, make sure you also read these Incredible Bicycle Statistics.
Summary
I enjoyed putting this article together. How do you like it? Let me know in the comments section below, or feel free to share it on your social media.
Don’t forget to check my Cycling Grand Tours Statistics, where I compare all Grand Tours, or continue reading:
Vuelta a EspaƱa Statistics FAQ
Sources
wikipedia.org
procyclingstats.com
lavuelta.es
The preview picture Ā©Luis Angel Gomez (cropped)
Browse Other Cycling Statistics
General Stats
Bicycle Statistics & Facts
Best Bicycle Brands
Road Bike Prices & Weights Statistics
Road Bike Wheels Weights Statistics
How Much Does a Tour de France Bike Cost?
Hi,
Excellent site/data – thank you! Do you know of any resource that captures Vuelta historical stage elevation data, by any chance?
Thank you,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Thank you! I don’t have it now, but I will consider adding it if I find the data.
ā Petr