- The race will be held on 10 February
- It will start at Primafrio's headquarters in Alhama de Murcia and end in Gran Vía de Murcia
- There are 199 kilometres, with four Metas Volantes and three mountain passes
- The Collado Bermejo - Cima Marco Pantani returns from his enforced absence in 2023 because of the snow
Murcia will host the finish of the Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia - Costa Cálida - Gran Premio Primafrio. Gran Vía Escultor Francisco Salzillo will once again be the point where the race ends, after a very special 199 kilometers route that will run through a large part of the Region.
The race will start from the headquarters of Primafrio, the main sponsor of the race. A departure that will allow everyone to enjoy cycling in its magnificent facilities. Access will be free, with no accreditation required for fans who want to see their heroes up close. Signature control will be from 9:30 to 10:30.
The neutralised route will start at 10:30 and will run through the town centre of Alhama de Murcia in the direction of Totana. The Juan de Dios Climatización Kilómetro 0 sign will be on the outskirts of the town of Alhama.
The first kilometers will be fast-paced. After passing through Totana the race will go to Mazarrón through a favorable terrain, following almost entirely the same as the last two years. The difference will be the entrance to the town. Once it enters for the first time in the RM-3 highway at La Pinilla, we will follow it until the end, towards Puerto de Mazarrón, to dispute the first Meta Volante in Avenida Constitución, in the opposite direction to 2022 and 2023. It will be the Trofeo Familia Rojas, located at kilometer 39. The battle is assured, as this is the first opportunity to close the presence on the final podium of the race.
A commitment that maintains the City Council of Mazarrón, which will host this trophy for the third consecutive time, and that changes its name to extend to all the Rojas family our gratitude for the role they have played in cycling in the Region of Murcia.
Completed the pass through Mazarrón, the race will return to Totana through the RM-3 to reach Sierra Espuña. It will be the return of the Collado Bermejo - Cima Marco Pantani after a year of absence. The snow that was accumulated on the top of Sierra Espuña and the adverse weather conditions forced us to suspend the climb to ensure the safety of the riders.
Before, we will climb the Alto de Aledo, a 3rd Category pass of. 5 kilometers and 300 meters with an average gradient of 4.8% that will serve to start selecting the race. The Collado Bermejo - Cima Marco Pantani, of 1st Category, will start just 5 kilometers after crowning it. As it is tradition, the race will live here its first great selection, and the teams that will dispute the final victory and the classification of teams of Arco Valoration will begin to be glimpsed.
7 kilometres and 300 metres with ramps of up to 12% where the Cima Marco Pantani will take place. Memorial Trophy with which we will once again remember the figure of ‘The Pirate’.
This chained will decide almost mathematically the classification of the mountain and who wears the red points maillot of DKMetro Group in Murcia. 13 of the 16 points at stake will be disputed.
In the descent is the novelty of this year. After the first kilometers the race will turn left twice. The first one before La Marina, looking for the Área Recreativa de la Perdiz. The second at the junction of El Berro, a town that will be crossed to reach the RM-515 on the way to Mula.
The hometown of Luis León Sánchez has devoted all its efforts to pay tribute to its greatest figure. The passage will be made through its main streets: Carretera de Pliego, Avenida Juan Antonio Perea and Gran Vía, where the Meta Volante will be located, at km 128. At this point we will know the candidates to win the Celeste Jersey of the Combativity Award, which is sponsored by the City Council of Mula.
The leg-breaking terrain will not end here. The race will continue along the roads linking Mula, Finca Romanones, Albudeite and Campos del Río on the way to Molina de Segura, which returns to the race in this edition with a flying finish line located in Calle Mayor, next to the Town Hall, thanks to the joint commitment of the City Council and Sercomusa.
It will leave the town on the N-301, a road that passes by the headquarters of KIA M. Gallego, supplier of the official cars of the Vuelta and sponsor of the white jersey of best young rider.
The race will enter Murcia for the first time through Espinardo.. It will run along Avenida Juan Carlos I towards Plaza Circular, Avenida Constitución and Gran Vía Escultor Francisco Salzillo making the first pass through the finish line, which will be located near the Bank of Spain and Plaza Santa Isabel. Here will be the last Meta Volante, definitively deciding the winner of the blue jersey of Balneario de Archena of the Metas Volantes.
A passing that will have live images, including images from the helicopter, so the Vuelta will once again be a spectacular showcase for all that it crosses. More than 270 countries around the world will see the Region of Murcia in the two-hour broadcast, allowing the international dissemination of the Costa Cálida.
With 16 kilometers to go, the Cresta del Gallo (3rd category) will be climbed. 5 kilometers at an average of 6.7% that will again play a fundamental role. It was here that Antonio Jesús Soto left Magnus Sheffield to win in 2021.
From the summit to the finish there are 12 kilometers, 5 of them of a technical downhill that passes by the Sanctuary of Fuensanta, home of the patron saint of the city. The Vuelta will return to Murcia through Algezares, Barrio del Progreso, Ronda Sur, Avenida Infante Juan Manuel, Barrio del Carmen and Puente de los Peligros.
Thanks to the joint commitment of the City Council of Murcia and the Regional Government, the Gran Vía Escultor Francisco Salzillo will crown again the champion of the Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia - Costa Cálida - Gran Premio Primafrio. He will thus take the baton from three legends of the sport: Luis León Sánchez, winner here of the overall in 2018 and 2019 and of the 2nd stage in 2020, Alejandro Valverde, winner in 2017, and Philippe Gilbert, winner in 2016.
The race can be followed live on our website www.vueltamurcia.es, and on Eurosport, Teledeporte and la 7 Televisión.
