The Vuelta a España could hardly have hoped for a better way to celebrate its 80th anniversary which starts on Saturday in Puerto Banus.
The Grand Tour created in 1935 looks set to offer a grandiose show between Malaga and Madrid on a course of an extreme density and with a new major showdown between the last two leading contenders of the Tour de France, Christopher Froome (Team Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar).
From Marbella, where will be held the traditional opening team time trial with its floating podium and beach finish, the Vuelta will take full advantage during three weeks of the rich variety of landscapes in Spain to offer the subtle blend of tradition and innovation which has been the trademark of the race since it has been taken over by Javier Guillen.
Four leading phases await the riders along the way –– eight stages in Andalucia, from Marbella to Murcia, an incursion in the principality of Andorra where will be held the queen stage between Andorra Viella and Cortals d'Encamp (140 km, five mountain passes and nearly 5,000 in vertical drop).
The race will then head for the North to cross Cantabria and Asturias before reaching the Madrid region, in which will again take place the final stage at El Paseo della Castellana. In all, 21 stages, 13 in the high or middle mountains, six on the flat, a 39-km individual time trial, a 7.4-km team time trial, 44 climbs and 3,357 kilometres.
It is one of the strength of a country offering such a diversity of terrains that Javier Guillen has been able to include eight unheralded mountain top finishes to the race course. Caminitodel Rey (Stage 2), Serria de Cazorla (Stage 6), La Alpujarra (Stage 7), CumbredelSol.Benitaxtell (Stage 9), Cortals d’Encamp (Stage 11), Alto Campoo. FuentedelChivo (Stagee 14), Sotres.Cabrales (Stage 15) and Ermita de Alba. Quiros (Stage 16) are new locations ready to make the history of an event attracting an exceptional field.
The podium of the Tour de France (Froome, Quintana, Valverde), two of the top three finishers in the last Giro d'Ialia (Aru, Landa) and the only active rider to have won the three grand Tours (Nibali) are all at the start.
To this prestigious start-list should be added the names of the ever popular Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), American Tejay Van Garderen (BMC), the big disappointment of July, as well as a solid bunch of riders capable of making it into the top 10 in Madrid (Pozzovivo, Betancur, Samuel Sanchez, Rolland, Dan Martin, Talansky, Dani Moreno, Chaves, Frank Schleck, Kiserlovski) as well as a few sprinters and finishers of repute eager to win stages and prepare for the world championships (Degenkolb, Sagan, Bouhanni, Gerrans, Cancellara).
The race to take over from 2014 winner Alberto Contador should be a superb one.
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