Unipublic announced the itinerary of the 2017 Vuelta a España, according to Neal Rogers of CYCLING TIPS. For only "the third time in its more than 80 years of history, the Spanish tour will start from a city outside its borders -- this time with a team time trial in the French city of Nîmes." Vuelta Dir Javier Guillén said that the decision aims to show the "numerous ties that bind" the French and Spanish communities. La Vuelta will "kick off" with two stages that will take place entirely on French soil, before arriving in Andorra, another country that has become a "recurring feature" in the Spanish tour over the past few years. The fourth stage of the '17 edition will finish in Tarragona, Spain. It will then visit Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Navarra, La Rioja, Castile and León, Cantabria, and Asturias, before its "usual finale in Madrid." Returning to the Vuelta is "perhaps its most fierce climb," the Alto de l'Angliru, which will be "more decisive than ever." The Asturian mountain pass will be "the last climb of this year's edition and will close the race's penultimate stage," before the arrival in Madrid where the winner of the 2017 Vuelta will be crowned on Sept. 10 (CYCLING TIPS, 1/13).
