Vuelta a España 2025

The two men are at opposite ends of their careers, but there's an air of mutual respect between the up-and-comer and the veteran pro

Graham Watson shoots stage 8 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Results from stage 8 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) was forced to visit a local hospital after a late-stage crash Friday on a finishing circuit that several riders characterized as too dangerous.

Zdenek Stybar targets the technical finish of stage 7, while Vincenzo Nibali tries to stay in red

The 41-year-old is three seconds from the red jersey and says he’s ready for the first weekend in the mountains

The Czech rider out-sprints Philippe Gilbert in a furious dash to the line at the end of the seventh stage of the year's third grand tour

1. Zdenek STYBAR, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, in 4:51:27 2. Philippe GILBERT, BMC Racing, at :00 3. Robert WAGNER, Belkin, at :01

Tony Martin goes on a 175-kilometer solo attack and comes up just 15 meters shy of a stage win

GCN goes inside with Sky rider Luke Rowe to see how he stocks his rain bag in Spain

Results from stage 6 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Michael Matthews gets his first grand tour win in the 2013 Vuelta's first sprint finale

Results from stage 5 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Scenes from stage 4 at the Vuelta a Espana, which saw Chris Horner lose the red jersey to Vincenzo Nibali

The American sprinter has not won a race in Europe since triumphing in a stage at the 2011 Tour de France

Results from stage 4 at the 2013 Vuelta a España

A number of riders expected to contend for the GC have fallen behind in the first three days of racing

Chris Horner doubles at the Vuelta and Graham Watson captures the action

The Belgian won the road race at the 2012 world championships but has yet to triumph in a race this season

Roche has been close before, but Sunday's stage win is a thriller, coming at a race the Irishman deems very important for him

Graham Watson shoots stage 2 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Astana's Nibali could serve as a roadblock to Horner's hopes of donning the red jersey

Results from stage 1 of the 2013 Vuelta a España

Belkin's sprinter is sent home from Vuelta in accordance with MPCC rules

Italian is after his second grand tour victory of 2013 and his second Vuelta

The 2013 Vuelta a España offers a ruthless, 39-climb route that includes nine mountaintop finishes

BMC Racing reveals its roster for the Vuelta a España

American says he's among the GC contenders as the Vuelta sets out for the mountains on Saturday

Dutch Tour revelation will take a crack at the Vuelta

Americans Chris Horner, Matthew Busche join Fabian Cancellara in RadioShack's Vuelta team

With GC and stage-win aspirations, a number of top favorites for the world championships are headed to Spain in late August

The Orica-GreenEdge rider won a stage at the Tour de France and spent two days wearing the yellow jersey

The Italian missed the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France this year

Packed with short, explosive stages, the 2013 Vuelta hopes to build on the excitement of last year's edition

The 2013 Vuelta route could feature even more desperately steep uphill finishes than 2012

The case was founded on mistakes allegedly made during the handling of Heras's samples

The Spanish national tour may take in both northern and southern Spain in 2013, with 12 summit finales

The Vuelta a España is full of emotional and physical peaks and valleys, and BrakeThrough Media captures the toll of Spain's grand tour

The fans of the Vuelta a España bleed cycling passion and BrakeThrough Media captures much of the excitement over three weeks in Spain

Pistolero counts Vuelta as his seventh grand tour, won't be in Beijing as Riis considers challenging UCI's points rules for riders returning from suspension

After finishing seventh at the Vuelta, young American takes on doping attitudes, lauds Wiggins' 2012 season and says Jacques-Maynes is part of the problem

Graham Watson is on hand for the finale to the 2012 Vuelta a España

For Velo's European correspondent Andrew Hood, the Vuelta was the most exciting of this year's grand tours

The Garmin-Sharp rider hopes to be up there with the best in a few years

1. John DEGENKOLB, Argos-Shimano, in 2:44:57 2. Elia VIVIANI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0 3. Daniele BENNATI, RadioShack-Nissan, at 0 4. Allan DAVIS, Orica-GreenEdge, at 0 5. Koldo FERNANDEZ, Garmin-Sharp, at 0

Graham Watson snaps the action on the brutal Bola del Mundo

Victory on Sunday will reconfirm El Pistolero's place as his generation's king of the grand tours

1. Denis MENCHOV, Katusha, in 4:48:48 2. Richie PORTE, Sky, at :17 3. Kevin DE WEERT, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at :42 4. Fredrik Carl Wilhelm KESSIAKOFF, Astana, at 1:16 5. Romain SICARD, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:39

Riders agree that over-the-top spectacle is good for cycling as the Giro and Vuelta fight for most extreme grand tour climbs

1. Philippe GILBERT, BMC Racing, in 4:56:25 2. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, Movistar, at 0 3. Daniel MORENO FERNANDEZ, Katusha, at 0 4. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Katusha, at 0 5. Gianni MEERSMAN, Lotto-Belisol, at :3

As Bennati wins stage, El Pistolero reflects on the desperation that brought on his long-shot attack at the Vuelta

1. Daniele BENNATI, RadioShack-Nissan, in 4:17:17 2. Ben SWIFT, Sky, at 0 3. Allan DAVIS, Orica-GreenEdge, at 0 4. Lloyd MONDORY, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0 5. John DEGENKOLB, Argos-Shimano, at 0

Alberto Contador storms into control at the Vuelta on Wednesday and BrakeThrough Media captures the post-stage frenzy around the Spaniard

Last bullet from Pistolero takes out Purito in an audacious, keenly executed run through the low mountains

Alberto Contador goes on a calculated, audacious attack to steal the Vuelta and Graham Watson captures the action

1. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, in 4:29:20 2. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, Movistar, at :6 3. Sergio Luis HENAO MONTOYA, Sky, at :6 4. Gorka VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at :6 5. Rinaldo NOCENTINI, Ag2r La Mondiale, at :19

Contador sees long odds to supplant Rodríguez, but is eyeing the two remaining uphill finishes in this Vuelta

Contador can't shake Rodríguez, or the lens of Graham Watson

1. Dario CATALDO, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, in 5:18:28 2. Thomas DE GENDT, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :7 3. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Katusha, at 2:39 4. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, at 2:41 5. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, Movistar, at 2:58

BrakeThrough Media captures a number of the machines ridden in this year's Vuelta and the care given them by team mechanics

Graham Watson's on hand as Alberto Contador tries and fails to shatter his rivals on stage 15

1. Antonio PIEDRA PEREZ, Caja Rural, in 5:01:23 2. Ruben PEREZ MORENO, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:02 3. Lloyd MONDORY, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:02 4. David DE LA FUENTE RASILLA, Caja Rural, at 2:02 5. Pablo LASTRAS GARCIA, Movistar, at 2:07

The sprinter who hoped to win one stage has already claimed four and now eyes the points jersey

Graham Watson snaps the showdown in stage 14 of the 2012 Vuelta a España

The Sky rider is finding the Vuelta a tough slog, but he's not waving the white flag just yet

Rodriguez took everything Contador threw at him, and gave as good — actually, better — than he got

1. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Katusha, in 4:10:28 2. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, at :5 3. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, Movistar, at :13 4. Daniel MORENO FERNANDEZ, Katusha, at :35 5. Christopher FROOME, Sky, at :38

Stephen Cummings lands a rare breakaway win in this Vuelta and Graham Watson captures the action

1. Stephen CUMMINGS, BMC Racing, in 4:05:02 2. Cameron MEYER, Orica-GreenEdge, at :4 3. Juan Antonio FLECHA GIANNONI, Sky, at :4 4. Simon CLARKE, Orica-GreenEdge, at :14 5. Linus GERDEMANN, RadioShack-Nissan, at :14

Big TT ride punches Garmin sophomore into top 10 as he learns the grand tour ropes with an eye toward the future