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Stage 15 · 6 September 2026

Palma del RíoCórdoba

189.7 km 110.2 kmMountain

Shortened for heat

189.7 km 110.2 km raced

La Vuelta's Extreme Weather Protocol was invoked for forecast extreme heat; the neutral start was delayed roughly two hours. The route followed the original plan for its first 52 km (through Puerto de la Forestal), then cut directly to Santa María de Trassierra instead of continuing north through Villaviciosa de Córdoba and Espiel, skipping that ~80 km loop and the Alto de Villaviciosa de Córdoba climb entirely before rejoining the original route's finish via Puerto Artafi into Córdoba.

Observed conditions from the ERA5 reanalysis archive.

Observed heat snapshot

+7.0°Cvs the 1974-2023 average at this location (ERA5): 32.7°C

40.3°Cpeak in the race window

High-risk · 31°C WBGT (est.)
40.3°CPalma del Río38.4°CPuerto de la Forestal38.2°CSanta María de Trassierra39.7°CCórdoba

Schematic — real elevation, approximate route between known points, not survey-accurate. Fill colored by temperature.

+10°C26°C+42°C

Decade trend — deviation from the 50-year mean at this location

32.2°C'74–'83
32.6°C'84–'93
32.2°C'94–'03
33.1°C'04–'13
33.2°C'14–'23
-2°C50-yr avg+2°C

A day this hot (≥39.7°C, ERA5 at this location) occurred 0× in 1974-1983 vs. 4× in 2014-2023.

WBGT is an estimate — see methodology. Data as of 2026-09-14T01:03:51.841Z.

Climbs