Overview
- Riders asked race officials to trigger La Vuelta's extreme-temperature protocol, and organisers responded by reducing the Palma del Río–Córdoba stage from 189.7 km to 110.2 km and delaying the start times.
- The revised route removed the Villaviciosa/Espiel loop and left two of the original three third-category climbs, keeping La Forestal and Puerto Artafi as the key efforts.
- The change followed AEMET forecasts of about 40–41°C and an orange heat alert, which organisers cited when setting the neutralised start at 14:50 and the official start at 15:00.
- The shortened, later stage ran on Sunday with Wout van Aert taking the win and Enric Mas retaining the red jersey with a 2:06 lead over Felix Gall.
- Local authorities implemented a major traffic and security plan with 61 closure and diversion points to adapt to the last-minute schedule, while riders and team staff warned the heat could force broader changes to future start times and safety rules.