BiciRace.com

• News
• Races
• Photos
• Interviews
• Inside Scoop
• Gear & Gadgets

Vuelta a España, Spain

27 August - 18 September

Preview

Startlist
Stages and Maps, Key Stages, Overall Map
Photos, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap

It is late summer and that can only mean one thing: time for the Vuelta a España. This marks the 10th year that the Vuelta has been in its fall time slot, after being moved from its previous April slot. There are arguments on both sides as to whether or not this has benefited the Vuelta. What is for certain is that all Spaniards will be fighting tooth and nail for their final placing. Don't believe us? Look at last year's final general classification. All top 10 riders were Spanish.

The Vuelta is always heavy on climbing and this year is no exception. There are six mountain top finishes this year. Of those six, 4 of them finish on "beyond category" climbs. The other two finish on category 1 and category 3 rated climbs. The first "beyond category" mountain top finish comes as early as stage 6. As late as stage 19 the race organizers have thrown in a category 2 and 3 climb just to make sure nobody gets too complacent.

The fiesta will kick off with a 9K individual TT in Granada, which will finish at the spectacular Moorish castle, La Alhambra. This is less than half the length of the opening TT in the Tour, so the tiny climbers riding for the GC shouldn't lose too much time to their better time trialing opponents. From there the race convoy will head in a northeasterly direction. Sweltering heat and strong crosswinds should be the order of the day in the early stages. Echelons will replace the typical serpentine formation of the peloton as they speed across the plains of Andalucía. This will force anybody with high GC aspirations to have to ride towards the head of the race so as to avoid getting caught out and losing massive chunks of time.

Stage 10 will see the first beyond category mountain top finish at the ski station in Arcalís. This will be a prime opportunity for the climbers to hammer their opponents into submission, especially since the following day finishes on another beyond category mountain top. Following this is a rest day and a transition stage after which riders will face 3 more successive stages with mountain top finishes.

In spite of his dismal performance at the Tour, 3 time Vuelta champion Robert Heras (Liberty Seguros-Würth) has to be considered a top contender. When he's on home turf his motivation always seems to soar, plus his team is packed with talented all-arounders that are more than capable of handling the hilly terrain. Aitor Gonzalez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), winning in 2002, showed a glimmer of hope back in June with his Tour de Suisse victory. But the big question will be can he motivate his seemingly slacker teammates into forming a cohesive team effort. Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) will be the big dark horse. Few doubt his talents as a climber, but will he have the staying power to take on the sport's best for a 3 week torture fest? Stay tuned to find out.
- Paco