Vuelta a España in Tenerife and Gran Canaria promises to be a historic sporting spectacle in 2026 with four (final) stages, sun-drenched routes, and international media attention.
It is not the first time these islands will host ‘La Vuelta a España’, but during the previous occasion in 1988, the experience was rather chaotic. The 1988 edition of the Vuelta began in the Canary Islands, on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with three stages. Despite the logistical challenges, the organisers and local institutions saw the 43rd edition as a good opportunity to start the race off the Spanish mainland for the first time and thus tap into new markets.
Winners
On 25 April 1988, the first stage of the Vuelta a España was held in Tenerife. Ettore Pastorelli, an unknown Italian — who had never before won a cycling race — was the first to cross the finish line.
During that first stage, thumbtacks were thrown onto the route, and several riders also reported being pelted with stones.
The second stage of that Vuelta started in La Laguna, more specifically at Plaza del Cristo, and ended after 210 kilometres at Avenida de Anaga. Iñaki Gastón won the sprint, and Lale Cubino took the leader’s jersey.
Thumbtacks
In its drive for innovation, the Vuelta decided that the third stage, on 27 April 1988, would be a team time trial between Telde and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (35 kilometres).
Groups of Canarian independence activists saw this as a perfect opportunity for political propaganda. Thumbtacks were scattered along the route to sabotage the stage. Antonio Cubillo later admitted this himself. “The Tour of Africa should be held here, not the Tour of Spain,” he said. His own son Guetón, only 16 years old at the time, was arrested in connection with the incident.
Chaos
More than 1,100 members of the national security forces were deployed during those three stages, according to a government press release, which did everything it could to prevent the incidents from reaching the national media. That effort failed: radio and television programmes even opened with the news.
That particular stage was won by team BH, with the legendary Lale Cubino in the lead, but that edition of the Vuelta will be remembered mainly for the thumbtacks on the course and the chaotic return of riders and teams to the mainland.
2026
The Vuelta a España will once again make history in 2026 with a return to the Canary Islands, where the final four stages of the 91st edition will take place, including one rest day. The agreement between the Government of the Canary Islands, the island governments (Cabildos) of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and organiser Unipublic is the result of more than two years of negotiations to place the Canarian archipelago back on the map of one of the world’s greatest cycling tours.
The initiative for the project came from Gran Canaria. Later, the Cabildo of Tenerife joined and assumed part of the required investment. The total cost of the project is estimated at around six million euros.
Final Stage
The Vuelta a España returns to the Canary Islands after 38 years. Some details still need to be worked out, and it is not yet known what the final stages will look like. The final week of La Vuelta a España, including a rest day, will take place on Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Organiser Unipublic is currently finalising the stage schedule. It is not yet (officially) known whether the final stage will be held on Tenerife, with a finish at Las Cañadas, or on Gran Canaria, with the climb to Pico de las Nieves as the key mountain in the finale of the race.
The reason it took so long for the Vuelta a España to return to the Canary Islands is due to logistical complexity. The return to the Spanish mainland in 1988 was marked by delays, complaints from teams, and too few hours of sleep for the riders who had to race the fourth stage in Extremadura.
But that Tenerife is an island where cyclists — professionals, amateurs, and enthusiasts alike — come to ride, speaks for itself.
Guy Devos © AI Illustration
Vuelta a España in Tenerife
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