Race preview

Giro d'Italia winner set to defend his 2013 title in northern Spain, only stop before heading into the Vuelta a España next week

Ten days before the start of the 69th Vuelta a España and 73 after conquering Movistar Team’s first Grand Tour in the Giro d’Italia, Nairo Quintana will be back into a competition on Wednesday for the 2014 Vuelta a Burgos, which the Colombian won last year atop the same Lagunas de Neila cliimb the route will feature on stage three (Friday 15). The week’s racing will come to an end with a 12-kilometer ITT in Aranda de Duero, on Sunday 17.

Alongside Nairo, who trained in the mountains of Boyacá during the last few weeks, an eight-man roster directed by José Luis Arrieta will include Igor Antón, Imanol Erviti, José Herrada, Juanjo Lobato, Javi Moreno, Rubén Plaza and Sylwester Szmyd. An uphill finish in the Castillo de Burgos (Wednesday 13) and two predictable sprints in Villadiego (Thursday 14) and Villarcayo (Saturday 16) complete the parcours of the Spanish event’s 36th edition.