For the first time in the race's 82-year history, the two first stages will take place entirely on French soil.
Stage 1 will pass through the historical centre of Nîmes: a Team Time Trial that will depart from a ramp located at the Maison Carrée, an ancient 1st century Roman temple built right in the heart of the city. The route will allow viewers to discover the innermost depths and historical sights of a city that is a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 22 teams that will make up the peloton of the Vuelta's 72nd edition will cross the finish-line, one by one, in front of one of the city's most emblematic monuments: Les Arènes de Nîmes.
Stage 2, the first linear stage, will commence from that very same spot, and finish with a mass sprint arrival on the Boulevard du Pech-Maynaud in the spa town of Gruissan, in front of the locality's tourist office, very close to the port.
The third stage will depart from the Gustave Violet de Prades Institute, a small town located at the foot of the Canigó Pyrenean Massif, that will bid farewell to the peloton in the first critical stage for the riders who aim to win the general classification.
The production teams do not wish to leave anything to chance and are measuring everything to the last millimetre in collaboration with local authorities, who remain ever-aware that their participation in this process is essential to ensure that everything goes well. Those in charge of the finish-lines and starting lines visualise the location where the temporary infrastructures will be installed while the sports team determines the repairs and modifications that must be made to each road. The person in charge of the Permanent Office makes sure that the Press Room installations have everything required to receive all the journalists and accredited organization staff in the best possible conditions. Even the decoration of each area is studied carefully so that all this background work shines a light on and reflects the passion for La Vuelta.
They are accompanied by TVE producers who also travel to see, first-hand, the locations they will be showcasing to 190 countries all over the world through their television broadcast – a fundamental tool for the touristic promotion of the localities through which La Vuelta passes. For this purpose, they will use 5 helicopters, two of them equipped with cameras to capture aerial video of the race but also to illustrate and inform spectators about the architectural, natural and historical wealth found along the route of La Vuelta 2017.
