La Vuelta's Grand Départ lands in Monaco this weekend

For the first time in its history, La Vuelta a España begins not in Spain but in Monaco, with the Grand Départ taking place across 22 and 23 August. The choice places the Principality alongside a handful of cities worldwide that have hosted the opening stages of a Grand Tour, putting it in company with London, Utrecht and Copenhagen as recent overseas launch venues for the sport's biggest races.

Organiser Unipublic, the Madrid-based company that runs La Vuelta, worked alongside Monegasque authorities for several months to prepare the event. Charles Ojalvo, Unipublic's deputy chief executive, described the Monaco start as a step up in the race's global stature, with teams from both sides of the border collaborating on logistics, road closures and public safety across the Principality's compact street network.

For residents and property owners, the weekend will bring significant road restrictions through the centre of Monaco, with the route expected to pass through several districts before the peloton heads south into Spain. The event adds to a summer already marked by major international fixtures and reinforces Monaco's position as a year-round destination for world-class sport, rather than one defined solely by the Formula 1 Grand Prix each May.