Analysis written by Diego Martín (@calebthemartin)

ROUTE ANALYSIS OF THE CLÁSICA DE ALMERÍA WE 2026

Sunday, February 8 – Coperativa Casi – Tabernas: 118.8 km

• Schedule: 12:35 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (local time).

The fourth edition of the Clásica de Almería WE will start from the CASI cooperative facilities in Almería. From there, it will head into the interior of the province, with a central section of the route where almost all the difficulty and accumulated elevation gain will be concentrated.

There will be three categorised climbs in the Clásica de Almería WE 2026. First, the riders will tackle the Mirador de Lucainena de la Torres (4th category). Almost without respite comes the Alto del Romeral (3rd category) and, immediately afterwards, they will climb the Alto de Turrillas (2nd category). In fact, this last one is the real difficulty of the day and its profile is sometimes presented together with those of the previous climbs.

The Alto de Turrillas, above 800 metres of altitude, is crested almost 60 km from the finish. It has an average gradient of around 4.3% over its 6.5 km length. It is not excessively hard, but it should be noted that, on this profile, the climb includes two easier sections, one of them descending.

After this, the climbing on the route is over and a fast section begins, including downhill stretches, heading back towards the Bajo Andarax. After the last intermediate sprint in Benahadux, the riders will once again head towards Tabernas, where the race will finish, with the road dragging slightly uphill in the final kilometres.

THE WEATHER

The forecast is good for Sunday. Temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees are expected during the one-day race. The probability of rain is practically zero. The wind will be light, with gusts of up to 22 km/h and averages around 13 km/h. We do not expect it to play a decisive role.

FAVOURITES FOR VICTORY IN THE CLÁSICA DE ALMERÍA WE 2026

Preamble

The field in the Clásica de Almería WE 2026 is very small, noticeably below the limits set by the UCI for races in this category. An (expected) participation of only 47 riders will significantly shape the race.

It is possible that on every small difficulty the WT and PRO teams (4) will try to blow the race apart and leave as few contenders in the mix as possible. On paper it could be a day for sprinters or puncheurs, but with such a reduced bunch, relative power on the climbs and tactical management within each team become even more important.

Favourites

The Spaniard Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) is one of the top favourites for the win. At the start of the season in Australia she has shown good legs. She will have the support of her Italian teammate Federica Venturelli, a promising puncheur who can bring out the best in herself in this type of race. We should not forget the always combative and powerful rouleur Brodie Chapman.

The Cuban Arlenis Sierra (Movistar) has returned this year after her maternity break. Under normal conditions this would be a route that suits her characteristics well. However, it is likely that some teams will try to drop all the women with a stronger finishing kick. In this sense, the Spaniards Sara Martín, Lucía Ruíz and the Briton Claire Steels may play a much more prominent role and look to split the race.

The Italian Arianna Fidanza (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi) should be the chosen leader in the event of a possible sprint finish. However, given the start list it is more likely that some teams will try to put her in difficulty. In this respect, her Uzbek teammate Yanina Kuskova, her Chilean teammate Cata Soto or the young Irati Aranguren may have opportunities in a race that is expected to be quite demanding.

Liv AlUla Jayco lines up with its Continental team. Even so, at least one rider steps down from the World Tour and appears to be the leader and favourite. The Swede Caroline Andersson handles this type of climb very well and, while not a pure sprinter, can cap off her performance on the finishing straight.

Other contenders

We have already said that the start list is far from ideal – as the heir of former president Rajoy would have said. As such, we cannot really highlight dark horses, but rather riders from somewhat more modest teams who can try to shape the race to their strengths. In this sense we highlight the Frenchwoman Laura Asencio (Ma Petite Entreprise), the Swiss Jasmi Liechti and the Dutchwoman Nina Kessler (Nexetis), the American Kaia Schmid (O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes) and the Paraguayan Agua Marina Espínola (Abadie Magnan).