 The first five stages took place in and around Andalusia in southern Spain ; the 2014 Vuelta had also started there . The first stage was a team time trial along the coast from Puerto Banús to Marbella . The next four stages were fairly flat , although Stage 2 finished on a moderately difficult climb . The sixth stage started in Córdoba and finished in Sierra de Cazorla in Jaén on another moderately difficult climb . The seventh stage then returned to Andalusia for the first major difficulty of the race : the first @-@ category summit finish at La Alpujarra . The route then continued along the eastern coast of Spain , with a medium @-@ mountain seventh stage and another first @-@ category summit finish at Benitachell on Stage 9 . There was one more medium @-@ mountain stage on Stage 10 , taking the riders into the Province of Castellón . This was followed by a transfer that took the riders into Andorra for a three @-@ day spell , beginning with the first rest day . The eleventh stage took place entirely in Andorra ; though it was only 138 kilometres ( 86 mi ) in length , it included six categorised climbs , including a summit finish , and was described by Eusebio Unzué ( the manager of the Movistar team ) as " the toughest Vuelta stage that he has seen in more than 30 years " . Stage 12 took the riders back into Spain for a fairly flat stage , before three consecutive stages with summit finishes . These took place in the mountains of Cantabria and Asturias and were followed by the race 's second rest day . The final week of the race included no summit finishes : the first stage was a 38 @.@ 7 @-@ kilometre ( 24 @.@ 0 mi ) individual time trial in Burgos and was then followed by three mixed stages that took the riders nearer to the final stage of the race , a sprint stage in Madrid . For the first time , the race organisers also held a women 's race on the same day as the final stage , using the same circuit . This race – called La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta – was won by Shelley Olds . 
