With the official presentation less than one week away, more details about the route for the 2014 edition of the Vuelta a Espana have emerged. Diario di Navarra reports that Pamplona will host a stage start midway through the race, with the stage finishing on a new climb with gradients of 16-17% in the final kilometre.

The official presentation of the 2014 Vuelta a Espana will take place on Saturday in Cadiz but due to several leaks, much of the course is already known. Today another piece of the puzzle fell into place when Diarrio di Navarra reported that the race will return to Pamplona after a one-year absence.

The race last visited the capital of Navarra in 2012 when the race kicked off with a spectacular team time trial in the city, with Movistar coming out triumphant. If the rumours about a new visit are confirmed, it will only be the second time in 20 years that the race pays a visit to the region of Navarra.

According to the paper, the city will host a stage start, with the riders initially heading south before making an about turn and heading towards the small town of Lizarraga. There they will reach the finishing climb, San Miguel de Aralar which will be included in the race for the first time. The 11km climb has an average gradient of 8% but includes sections of 16-17% inside the final kilometre. The paper reports that the road is in bad condition and will need to be repaired before the race can make a visit. The stage will take place one day after a time trial in Zaragoza.

The information is just the latest in a long series that has allowed the press to already piece together most of the course. It has already been reported that the race will have fewer summit finishes than the 2013 edition, with the number being reduced from a massive 11 to 8.

It has already been revealed that the race will kick on August 23 off in Jerez de la Frontera in the southern part of the country and the Spanish paper reports that the spectacle will be opened with a team time trial. From there the race will head north and east through Andalusia – where it will spend a week – Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon, but will avoid the Pyrenees, Catalonia and the Basque Country.

In recent years, the Vuelta a Espana has had a tradition of having three consecutive summit finishes in the third weekend of the race. According to the newspaper, this will be the case again in 2014.

The brutal triptych will start on Saturday, September 6 with a finish on the 9,8km La Camperona climb which has a three kilometre section where the gradient stays between 17% and 22%. Known as "the son of Angliru", its inclusion was already rumoured last week and was tested by the Vuelta organizers earlier this year. If confirmed, the visit will be a first.

On Sunday, September 7, the race will continue with a summit finish on the legendary Lagos di Covadonga. Having been included 18 times since 1983, it is often visited by the Vuelta and was last climbed in 2012 when Antonio Piedra won from a breakaway.

On Monday, September 8, the riders will finish at the Lagos di Somiedo on the Farrapona climb. The finish was last used in 2011 when Rein Taaramae won from a breakaway while Juan Jose Cobo gave the first indications that he was the strongest rider in the race by finishing 2nd. The stage is likely to be a hard one and could include several other major ascents.

A rest day will precede the final week of the race that will include three or four stages in Galicia. While the third weekend will have a major impact on the GC, nothing will be decided until the very end. On the final Saturday, the riders will climb the Puerto de Ancares which has an average gradient of 9,25% and ramps of more than 20%. The climb was last included in 2012 when Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador battled fiercely for the race leadership, with the latter winning the stage. It is not yet guaranteed that it will be a summit finish.

As already reported, the race won't finish in Madrid in 2014. A time trial is likely to bring the race to a close in Santiago de Compostela but in contrast to earlier reports, it will not be held at nighttime. This will be the fourth time since Unipublic began organizing the Tour in 1979 that the race will finish outside the capital.

Chris Horner won this year's edition of the race and has stated his intention to defend his title in 2014 but he still hasn't found a new team.