February 14, 2026
The design of the second and final stage of the Vuelta a la Región de Murcia is an interesting one. The first 59KM of the 148KM stage between Fortuna and Santomera are all uphill. It is gradual at first then after 39KM of racing, the gradients pick up at the start of the Alto Collado Bermejo, a 20KM climb with an average gradient of 5.5%. Once at the top, there is a 60KM downhill/false flat down to the base of the Alto Cresta del Gallo. The climb is 6KM long at 6% but the top comes 23KM from the finish on a completely flat run-in. This could go a few different ways. Riders weren't afraid to race in the wind yesterday so maybe we'll get a battle from far out again today.
Race Summary
The race started as planned although there were questions at the start because strong winds that continued to blow in the region. After a crash early on, the decision was taken to neutralize and eventually cancel the race. The riders were transported to the finish where they did a ceremonious lap around town for the spectators but no win was awarded.