La Vuelta

40 years! The Movistar Team has never missed a single edition of the Vuelta a España since their first pro season in 1980, and will be back with big names -including no less than the World Champion, Alejandro Valverde, in his final race (so far) with the rainbow colours- to their home Grand Tour, one of the races which has brought the Blues the most success in their decorated history.

The 74th edition will depart from the Costa Blanca, with a completely flat team time trial, 13.4km in length, in and around Torrevieja (sábado 24th). The race will visit the interior of the Alicante province and the Marina Alta on Sunday 25th, climbing the tough Puig Llorença -Cat-2; once a mountain-top finish in the Cumbre del Sol- en route to Calpe, and finish in the capital, the first real chance for the sprinters, on Monday 26th.

Following another finish for the fastest legs (Tuesday 27th) at El Puig, near Valencia, the climbers will have their first real test at Javalambre (Cat-1; 11km at nearly 8%), a real difficult climb for starters (Wednesday 28th). The race will not leave the Comunitat Valenciana just yet, another uphill finish in Ares del Maestrat (Cat-3; 8km at 5%), in the interior of Castellón (Thursday 29th), and the brutal Mas de la Costa (Cat-1; 4km at 12%), on Friday 30th, will make for a true first mountain block in this year’s Vuelta.

Stage eight (Saturday 31st), a lumpy course towards Igualada with the Montserrat (Cat-2) ascent less than 30km before the end, will preceed the huge Andorra day (Sunday 1st). It will be just 94km, yet with five major ascents: Ordino (Cat-1), La Gallina (HC), Comella (Cat-2), Engolasters (Cat-2) -with a gravel section after its top- and a finish up Els Cortals d’Encamp (Cat-1).

After the first ‘descanso’, two stages will be tackled in French territory. A long 36km ITT from Jurançon to Pau (Tuesday 3rd), different to the one held in the Tour, will be the final chance for the specialist to make up time before the grueling second half of the race. In turn, stage 11 to Urdax (Wednesday 4th) will be the last opportunity for the sprinters in many days’ time.

What will come during the rest of the second week in this Vuelta is a real torture, a testament of the beautiful, tough, uncountable mountains the north of Spain has to offer. Thursday 5th, three climbs -Urruztimendi, Vivero and Arraiz (2km at 12%)- will be overcome into the final 40km towards Bilbao. Friday 6th, six ascents in Cantabria will preceed the steep Los Machucos (HC; 7km at 9%, max slopes of 25%). Sunday 8th -after a stage for the breakaways to Oviedo-, four long ascents will take the riders to the top of El Acebo (Cat-1; 8km at nearly 10%). And Monday 9th, a regional holiday in Asturias, La Cubilla (HC; 18km at 6%) will be climbed for the first time ever in the race, anticipated by the famous, tough San Lorenzo (Cat-1) and La Cobertoria (Cat-1).

On the third week of the race, the Vuelta will always remain near Madrid. There will be two chances for the fastmen or the escapees -Guadalajara, on Wednesday 11th, and Toledo’s uphill finish, on Friday 13th-; a big mountain stage through the Sierra de Guadarrama on Thursday 12th, over the cols of Navacerrada (Cat-1), Cotos (Cat-1) and twice up Morcuera (Cat-1); and a showdown on hilly roads, with Peña Negra (Cat-1) as main ascent and lots of ups and downs despite the relatively small ascents, on Saturday 14th, finishing at the Plataforma de Gredos just before the Madrid finale.