MADRID, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish cycling Federation on Wednesday published the new route for the re-scheduled Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race.

The race was due to start in the Netherlands in August and continue into September. Still, due to the effects of the coronavirus, the competition will now start in Irun in the Basque region of northern Spain on October 20 and finish, as always, in Madrid on November 8.

Apart from a brief foray into Portugal, the race will be held almost entirely in northern Spain, which, given the time of year, could see the riders dealing with a lot of days affected by rain and perhaps even snow in the Picos de Europa mountains.

The effects of the coronavirus on cycling mean the season will not start until August, and this year's Vuelta will overlap with the Giro de Italia, another of the three 'Grand Tours' along with the Tour de France, which begins August 29.