The fastest stage win at the Vuelta Espana (excluding time trials) was on Stage 9 in 2001 from Logroño to Zaragoza. Igor González de Galdeano (ONCE-Eroski) won in a bunch sprint.
He finished the 179.2km (113.3 miles) stage in 3h 14′ 52”, with an average speed of 55.176km/h. Until today, it’s the only Vuelta Espana stage (excluding time trials) where the winner’s average speed is above 55km/h.
The second-fastest Vuelta Espana stage win is by Guido Reybrouck on Stage 8b around Barcelona in the 1970 edition. Back in the day, some stages were split into two, hence the a and b naming. Guido finished the 48km (29.8 miles) stage at 53′ 28″ with an average speed of 53.870km/h.
The third fastest Vuelta Espana stage win is held by Jean Stablinski, who finished the 144km (89.5 miles) Stage 10 of the 1963 edition from Zaragoza to Lérida. He finished in 2h 47′ 34″, with an average speed of 51.560km/h.
In 2019, Philippe Gilbert won Stage 17 from Aranda de Duero to Guadalajara with an average speed of 50.630km/h over 219.6km (136.5 miles). It’s the fastest Vuelta Espana stage for a distance of over 200km.
Below are the top 20 fastest Vuelta Espana stages’ average speeds.
Average speed of fastest Vuelta Espana
| Rider | Average speed (km/h) | Time | Distance (km) | Stage | Start / finish | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Igor González de Galdeano | 55.176 | 3h 14′ 52″ | 179.2 | 9 | Logroño – Zaragoza | 2001 |
| Guido Reybrouck | 53.870 | 53′ 28″ | 48.0 | 8b | Barcelona – Barcelona | 1970 |
| Jean Stablinski | 51.560 | 2h 47′ 34″ | 144.0 | 10 | Zaragoza – Lérida | 1963 |
| Marcel Wüst | 51.137 | 2h 50′ 8″ | 145.0 | 14 | Biescas – Zaragoza | 1998 |
| Eddy Planckaert | 50.730 | 3h 29′ 21″ | 177.0 | 1 | Valladolid – Zamora | 1985 |
| Philippe Gilbert | 50.630 | 4h 20′ 14″ | 219.6 | 17 | Aranda de Duero – Guadalajara | 2019 |
| Alessandro Petacchi | 50.150 | 3h 19′ 27″ | 166.7 | 5 | Soria – Zaragoza | 2003 |
| Erik Zabel | 49.850 | 3h 14′ 59″ | 162.0 | 11 | Utiel – Cuenca | 2003 |
| Jesús Aranzabal | 49.570 | 2h 47′ 2″ | 138.0 | 17a | Vitoria – San Sebastián | 1972 |
| Filippo Simeoni | 49.348 | 3h 7′ 29″ | 154.2 | 18 | Albacete – Cuenca | 2001 |
| Sam Bennett | 49.260 | 3h 53′ 30″ | 191.7 | 4 | Garray – Ejea de los Caballeros | 2020 |
| Alessandro Petacchi | 49.230 | 4h 16′ 33″ | 210.5 | 12 | Segovia – Burgos | 2002 |
| Laurent Jalabert | 49.200 | 3h 23′ 54″ | 167.2 | 3 | Cuenca – Albacete | 1996 |
| Mathieu Hermans | 49.130 | 4h 6′ 42″ | 202.0 | 6 | Béjar – Valladolid | 1988 |
| Angelo Furlan | 49.080 | 2h 59′ 13″ | 146.6 | 17 | Benavente – Salamanca | 2002 |
| Eddy Peelman | 48.990 | 4h 2′ 30″ | 198.0 | 6 | Calpe – Burriana | 1970 |
| Mark Cavendish | 48.898 | 3h 34′ 44″ | 175.0 | 12 | Andorra la Vella – Lleida | 2010 |
| Cees Haast | 48.570 | 2h 9′ 43″ | 105.0 | 7 | Calatayud – Zaragoza | 1966 |
| Samuel Sánchez | 48.260 | 4h 3′ 41″ | 196.0 | 13 | Burgos – La Bien Aparecida | 2005 |
| Robert Hunter | 48.147 | 3h 18′ 46″ | 159.5 | 17 | Murcia – Albacete | 2001 |
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.