The organizers of the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol has officially announced an attractive route for the Spanish race, with two summit finishes, Hazallanas and Allanadas, and a time trial on the first day that will offer two half stages. Going from La Rabida (Huelva) to Alhurin de la Torre (Málaga), the Andalusian race features six stages from February 18-22 and will be broadcast on live television. Alberto Contador and Chris Froome have confirmed their presence.

The five-day race will be made up of the following stages:

Wednesday, February 18. Stage 1a: La Rabida - Hinojos, 121.3km / Stage 1b: Coria - Coria del Río, 8.2 km
Thursday, February 19. Stage 2: Utrera - Lucena
Friday, February 20. Stage 3: Motril - Alto de Hazallanas (Güéjar Sierra)
Saturday, February 21. Stage 4: Maracena - Alto de Allanadas (La Guardia de Jaén)
Sunday, February 22. Stage 5 : Montilla - Alhaurín de la Torre

The first day will be a double session, a flat first half stage that is expected to finish with a sprint in Hinojos but which could be influenced by the wind, and a second half stage in the Seville town of Coria del Río, a time trial of just over 8 kilometers. According to the organizers it will be an explosive and highly technical course in an urban area.

The second stage will go from Sevilla (Utrera) to Córdoba (Lucena), with the climb of the Primera Cruz (3rd) a few kilometers from the finish.

The queen stage will be the third one in Granada, with an explosive finish on the Hazallanas climb (1st category). Before the riders get there, they will have to climb Puerto de la Cabra (1st category) and Alto del Lucero (2nd category). In the 2013 Vuelta a Espana, Chris Horner beat Vincenzo Nibali on the very steep final climb.

The climbing will continue in the fourth stage with a finish on the Alto de Allanadas. Along the way, they riders will go up La Guardia de Jaén (1st category) and three third category climbs, Altos de Noguerones, Puerto Lope and Albendín Sera on what will be the longest day of the race.

The last stage will provide an opportunity for the sprinters as they go from the province of Cordoba Montilla to a finish in Alhaurín de la Torre (Málaga). Desfiladero de los Gaitanes and Caminito del Rey will be the stars of the stage as the peloton will travel alongside this beautiful piece of nature that is one of the most impressive places in the province of Malaga.

The field will be of very high quality and will consist of  between 18 and 20 professional teams. In addition to Contador and Froome, Jurgen van den Broeck, Daniel Navarro, Bauke Mollema, Frank Schleck, Haimar Zubeldia, Gerald Ciolek, Luis León Sánchez and Jean-Christophe Péraud will also be on the starting line.

Alejandro Valverde has won the last three editions. In 2014 he beat Richie Porte and Luis León Sánchez; Markel Irizar won in 2011 and Michael Rogers in 2010.

The 2015 Vuelta a Andalucía 2015 will be broadcast by Eurosport who will offer a daily two-hour coverage.