Vuelta a España 2024

Alessandro Petacchi took full advantage of a perfect lead out from his Lampre team to win the seventh stage of the Vuelta a España on Friday

1. Thor Hushovd, Cervélo TestTeam, in 3h 36' 20'' 2. Daniele Bennati, Liquigas-Doimo, at 0 3. Grega Bole, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 0 4. Allan Davis, Astana, at 0 5. Filippo Pozzato, Team Katusha, at 0

UPDATED: Thor Hushovd won the sixth stage of the Vuelta a España, easily taking a sprint into Murcia on Thursday.

1. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions, in 5h 03' 36'' 2. Larrea Koldo FernÁndez De, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 00:00 3. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Columbia, at 00:00 4. Matteo Tosatto, Quick Step, at 00:00 5. Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 00:00

1. Igor ANTON HERNANDEZ, (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi, in 5:00:29 2. Vincenzo NIBALI, (ITA) Liquigas-Doimo, at 0 3. Peter VELITS, (SVK) HTC-Columbia, at 1 4. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, (ESP) Team Katusha, at 1 5. Philippe GILBERT, (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 5

Team Sky loses two riders to illness on stage 3, and other riders and staff are struggling with similar symptoms.

Christian Vande Velde has a minor crash on the Vuelta's third stage, outside an olive oil factory. The American vet is looking to finish off his 2010 season with a strong Vuelta.

1. Philippe Gilbert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, 157.3km in 4:06:12 2. Joaquin Rodriguez, Team Katusha, at 0:13 3. Igor Anton, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:13 4. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Doimo, at 0:15 5. Grega Bole, Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 0:15

HTC-Columbia says there's no pressure on the rising young star, who is in Spain to learn.

1. Yauheni Hutarovich, Française des Jeux, 4:35:41 2. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Columbia, s.t. 3. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions, s.t. 4. Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, s.t. 5. Antonio Lea Cardoso Manuel, Footon-Servetto-Fuji, s.t.

Yauheni Hutarovich — the lanterne rouge of the 2009 Tour de France — claims his first grand-tour victory ahead of race leader Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar.

1. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Columbia, 13km in 14:06 2. Peter Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 0:01 3. Martin Velits, HTC-Columbia, at 0:01 4. Lars Ytting Bak, HTC-Columbia, at 0:01 5. Hayden Roulston, HTC-Columbia, at 0:01

Graham Watson captures the unusual nighttime team time trial that kicked off the 2010 Vuelta a España

Vuelta a España organizers must have known what was in store when they decided to schedule a night-time team time trial to kick start the 65th edition of the Spanish grand tour.

HTC-Columbia breaks its own rules to let the 22-year-old American start a grand tour. 'I'm not going to be a tourist,' the first-year pro promises.

The Saxo rider says he's fully recovered from his Tour de France crash and ready to challenge for the win, with the help of brother Andy

The third and final grand tour of the season gets underway in Spain on Saturday, with several leading riders eyeing their chances amid the absence of the world's top road racer Alberto Contador.

Javier Guillén says the race features a 'colossus' climb and a stellar field, including the Schlecks, Menchov, Sastre, Cavendish, Freire and others

Two-time Vuelta winner Denis Menchov goes into this year's race as a five-star favorite.

Vincenzo Nibali and Roman Kreuziger will lead the team in Spain

The Spanish veteran, who has finished on the podium three times, will be starting his third grand tour of the year.

With Alejandro Valverde on suspension, Caisse d'Epargne packs the one-two punch of Giro d’Italia runner-up David Arroyo and Luis León Sánchez.

David Moncoutié will be looking to match history as he makes a run for a third consecutive climber’s jersey at the Vuelta a España.

Thomas Löfkvist and Simon Gerrans lead a strong Sky squad into the Vuelta a España.

Nicholas Roche, hot off a solid 15th in the Tour de France, is aiming for a top-10 overall at the Vuelta

The 2006 Tour champ has tried ultra-sound but may have to undergo surgery.

The Cervélo TestTeam will bring star riders Carlos Sastre and Thor Hushovd to the Vuelta a España later this month.

Sastre, Kashechkin, Schlecks – sí; Riccò, Rasmussen, Shack – no

Team Sky will bring a solid team to the Vuelta a España, with Thomas Löfkvist and Simon Gerrans leading the way for the British-backed squad.

Cervélo's Xavier Tondo hopes to start the Vuelta a España despite breaking his collarbone in the fourth stage at the Tour of Poland.

The Vuelta a España will return to the Basque Country for the first time in more than 30 years for its 2011 edition.

One rider quietly lining up at the start of last weekend’s Clásica San Sebastián was Andrey Kashechkin.

Carlos Sastre says there’s a “very high possibility” that he will start his third grand tour of the 2010 season

This year's Vuelta could well be decided on the slopes of a new climb that’s already being compared to the fearsome Angliru and Monte Zoncolan.

Alberto Contador has confirmed that he will not be racing the Vuelta a España next month.

Alberto Contador probably won't show, but the third-best man in the Tour, Denis Menchov, is signed up.

The Saxo Bank star is tired from a demanding, successful season, but says racing beats training.

Christian Vande Velde and Tyler Farrar will return to major competition next month at the Vuelta a España.

While the cycling world’s attention is on the Tour de France, American Tejay Van Garderen is preparing for an unexpected start at the Vuelta a España in September.

The team was not included in the list of 22 squads invited to the 2010 Vuelta, set to start Aug. 28 in Sevilla. Sixteen teams were already selected, but RadioShack was not among the final six wild-card selections revealed Monday.

This holiday season, VeloNews is bringing you three galleries of some of photographer Graham Watson's best shots from the 2009 Grand Tours. Today you can unwrap a gallery from the Vuelta a Espana. Watch for galleries from the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in coming days. Happy Holidays.

Riders and teams reacted with enthusiasm to the route chosen for the 2010 Vuelta a España.

Officials announce 2010 Vuelta route and unveil new red leader's jersey.

Details of the season’s third grand tour will be revealed Wednesday during a ceremony in Sevilla, Spain.

If news reports are right, the 2010 Vuelta will open with a team time trial in Sevilla on August 29th.

Details of the 2010 version of the Vuelta a España are slowly leaking out through the Spanish media.

1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), Caisse d'Epargne, 87:22:37 2. Samuel Sánchez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 55 3. Cadel Evans (AUS), Silence-Lotto, at 01:32 4. Ivan Basso (ITA), Liquigas, at 02:12 5. Ezequiel Mosquera (ESP), Xacobeo Galicia, at 04:27

No one can ever accuse Spanish veteran José Vicente "Chente" García Acosta of being a slacker. The Caisse d’Epargne rider completed his 25th grand tour Sunday with the conclusion of the 64th Vuelta a España. And that number is just from racing the Vuelta a España and the Tour de France. Somewhat surprisingly, García Acosta has never raced a Giro d’Italia since turning pro in 1995.

Start Times – Stage 20 Time Trial1. Damien Gaudin Bbox Bouygues Telecom - starts at 2:29 p.m.2. Jens Mouris Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team - starts at 2:30 p.m.3. Martijn Maaskant Garmin-Slipstream - starts at 2:31 p.m.4. J. Vicente García Acosta Caisse d’Epargne - starts at 2:32 p.m.5. Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia-HTC - starts at 2:33 p.m.6. Timothy Gudsell Française Des Jeux - starts at 2:34 p.m.7. Massimiliano Mori Lampre-NGC - starts at 2:35 p.m.8.

Garmin-Slipstream lost three riders in Thursday’s 18th stage at the Vuelta a España, leaving the squad with just four going into the final weekend of the race. Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Meier did not start and Tom Danielson abandoned early in the stage from Talavera de la Reina to Ávila. Hesjedal’s exit was planned to allow him a few days’ recovery ahead of the world championships next weekend while Meier suffered a death in his family.

The leader of next year's Vuelta a España will wear a red jersey instead of the current gold to mark the 75th anniversary of the event, organizers announced Tuesday. The colour of the leader's jersey has changed several times since the event began, with red being used only once, in 1945, Spanish media said. It was orange for the inaugural event in 1935, a color that was also used in 1936, 1942 and 1977. It was white just once, in 1941, and white with a horizontal red line between 1946 and 1950.

Cadel Evans vows to keep fighting in this Vuelta a España, but he will probably lose sleep when he thinks about his ill-timed puncture in Saturday’s decisive climbing stage to Sierra Nevada. The Aussie’s chances of overall victory were shattered when he punctured near the Cat. 1 Monachil summit. A botched wheel change froze the Silence-Lotto rider neat the top of the climb just as his rivals were barreling down the other side.

Damiano Cunego’s second stage victory at this year’s Vuelta a España shows he’ll be one of the riders to beat at the world championships later this month at Mendrisio. His dramatic win up the steep La Pandera climb ahead of Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) only fuels his ambitions ahead of the worlds. “The worlds is the top goal for me and the Vuelta is ideal preparation,” Cunego said. “These victories at the Vuelta confirm that I am enjoying good form right now and I will carry that into the worlds.”

Cadel Evans just can’t seem to catch a break this season. The Australian’s chances of overall victory were torpedoed Saturday with an ill-timed puncture near the top of the decisive Alto de Monachil climb late in the five-climb 13th stage. Confusion over a wheel change cost Evans critical seconds and he lost contact with the top GC rivals just as the leaders were nearing the final charge up to the summit finish at Sierra Nevada.

Tom Danielson is licking his lips ahead of Saturday’s decisive climbing stage to Sierra Nevada in the 13th stage at the Vuelta a España. The route will retrace some of the roads over the Cat. 1 Alto de Monachil where he attacked three years ago to claim his biggest win of his career into Granada during the 2006 Vuelta. Danielson has twice finished in the top 10 at the Vuelta, but is now poised to make a run for the final podium — or perhaps even more.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) made history Friday when he became the first Canadian to win a stage at the Vuelta a España. Hesjedal also delivered Garmin’s second consecutive stage victory at the Vuelta with a gutsy late-stage performance up the grueling Velefique climb. Hesjedal spoke exclusively to VeloNews following his emotional stage victory. Here are excerpts from his post-stage reaction: VeloNews: Describe your feelings coming across the line.

Throughout his long career on the road and mountain bike circuits, some of the Canadian’s best performances have come in September. Part of that is purely coincidental, especially since some of mountain biking’s biggest events (World Cup finals and worlds) often fell in September. But there’s no denying the tall, all-rounder from western Canada seems to rise to the top when the leaves start falling.

Tyler Farrar got the monkey off Garmin-Slipstream’s back. After a string of close calls, with no less than nine second places in grand tours in 2009, including second by Ryder Hesjedal in Tuesday’s 10th stage, Farrar was first across the line in a major three-week race in Wednesday 11th stage at the Vuelta a España. It’s an important milestone for both Farrar and Garmin.

Garmin-Slipstream is still waiting for that elusive individual grand tour stage victory, but no one can criticize the U.S.-registered team for a lack of trying. With second to Simon Gerrans in Tuesday’s 10th stage, Canadian Ryder Hesjedal once again put the argyle jersey at the sharp end of the action at the Vuelta a España. The squad won the team time trial at the 2008 Giro d’Italia in its grand tour debut, but has since come enticingly close to a major stage win at the grand tours in two seasons at the elite level of the sport.

Beloki plots his own comeback Joseba Beloki is plotting a return to the professional peloton, but he won’t be trying to regain his spot as one of the top challengers for the Tour de France. Beloki, 35, has given up hope of ever racing as a pro again. Instead, the Basque rider is hoping to become a sport director in the coming years.

Reigning Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez says he doesn’t expect to, but still believes he can win the Vuelta a España. That’s how Sánchez assesses things after nearly a week of racing in the Vuelta, sitting 65th at 1:09 back. “Right now I don’t see myself winning, but I know that I am capable of doing it,” Sánchez said. “It’s the same thing as trying to finish in the top 10 at the Tour; it’s one thing to think but it’s altogether something else to actually do it.”

In terms of roadside spectators, the opening four stages of the 64th Vuelta a España through The Netherlands and Belgium were a huge success.. “Just like the Tour de France,” some of the riders said. But the interest in North America has been minimal, at best, even though the top U.S teams Columbia-HTC and Garmin-Slipstream are taking part.

Chris Horner was among the major victims of a horrible high-speed crash Tuesday as scores of riders crashed near the end of the rainy fourth stage at the Vuelta a España. The Astana captain hit the deck with dozens of riders in a pile-up caused by a narrow run through a rain-slickened traffic circle within the 3km-to-go banner. The team later announced that Horner had broken his left hand and would leave the Vuelta.

André Greipel doesn’t think there should be an asterisk next to his victory in Tuesday’s stage at the crash-marred finale at the Vuelta a España. Greipel was only one of six riders to make it past a horrible accident that wiped out nearly all of the major sprinters, including Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) and Tom Boonen (Quick Step).

Perhaps it’s no mistake that Greg Henderson’s biggest road win of his career comes in the Vuelta a España. Monday’s stage-3 sprint victory for the 32-year-old Henderson caps a breakthrough season that’s also included major victories on Spanish roads, at the Clásica de Almería, the Vuelta a Murcia and the Volta a Catalunya. Holland isn’t quite Spain, but it is still the Vuelta a España despite its popular start in Benelux.

Chris Horner cannot wait to get to the warmer climes of Spain. It’s not that the Astana captain doesn’t like bumping shoulders on the narrow, rainy roads of Holland, but he knows that the real battle won’t begin until the Vuelta a España transfers down to the Iberian peninsula next week. In the meantime, it’s about gritting the teeth and avoiding a costly mishap.

If Saturday’s rowdy and enthusiastic welcome for the Vuelta a España is any indication, next year’s Giro and Tour starts should be off the charts. An estimated 40,000 fans braved wind, cold and rain to watch SuperFabio roar into the leader’s jersey at the Vuelta, so just imagine what it’s going to be like in Amsterdam, which hosts the Giro start in May, and Rotterdam, which has the Tour’s grand depart in July. Holland is playing host to all three grand tours and the Dutch fans seem up to the task of making the pro peloton feel welcome.

Start Times – Prologue, Vuelta a España, 2009 1. Alberto FernÁndez Sainz Xacobeo Galiciap, starts at 3:21p.m. 2. Matheus Pronk Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, starts at 3:22p.m. 3. Dominik Roels Team Milram, starts at 3:23p.m. 4. Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia-HTC, starts at 3:24p.m. 5. Kevin De Weert Quick Step, starts at 3:25p.m. 6. Francesco Tomei Lampre-NGC, starts at 3:26p.m. 7. Christian Meier Garmin-Slipstream, starts at 3:27p.m. 8.

The 64th Vuelta a España clicks into gear Saturday on the Assen race track with one of its deepest and most competitive fields ever. Not only are riders racing the Vuelta to prepare for the world championships, but some of the biggest names are lining up with nothing less than all-out victory as their stated goals. With none of last year’s top-3 back to defend their podium spots, the 2009 Vuelta is wide open. A challenging course well-suited for aggressive attacks in the mountains will promise to keep things interesting all the way into the final week.

Chris Horner will finally get a crack at the GC in a grand tour when the Vuelta a España clicks into gear on Saturday in Holland. That’s according to Astana sport director Sean Yates, who said the team will let Horner give it a stab for the overall classification. “Horner has progressed a lot this year, but he hasn’t had a chance to show on his own what he can do in the GC because he’s always been working for others,” Yates said. “I think he’s very motivated for the Vuelta. First he has to avoid a crash and then it’s a question of following.”

Preliminary Start List – Vuelta a España 2009Euskaltel-Euskadi1. Samuel Sanchez (Spa)2. Igor Anton (Spa)3. Egoi Martinez (Spa)4. Alan Perez (Spa)5. Ruben Perez (Spa)6. Inaki Isasi (Spa)7. Aitor Hernandez (Spa)8. Markel Irizar (Spa)9. Amets Txurruka (Spa)Ag2r La Mondiale11. Tadej Valjavec (Slo)12. José Luis Arrieta (Spa)13. Christophe Riblon (Fra)14. Alexander Efimkin (Rus)15. Sébastien Hinault (Fra)16.

Garmin-Slipstream's sprinter Tyler Farrar will be looking for stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana starting Saturday, and the team is sending a squad of all-rounders and sprinters to help him get his first grand tour stage win. Farrar is coming off a string of successes at the Tour de France and the Eneco Tour. Team CEO Jonathan Vaughters says he expects the success to continue.