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- Shimano Winter Warriors: Grit and gears
- “The day’s scant sunlight is already fading into the lead-coloured winter sky.
Cycling’s third grand tour is underway. The Vuelta a España might not have the same prestige as the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia. Its first edition was held decades after the French and Italian grand tours were founded and it was only raced occasionally during its early years. It was not until the 1980s and 1990s that Spaniards fully embraced the race, when riders like Pedro Delgado and Miguel Indurain won them over. Later champions, such as Roberto Heras, Alejandro Valverde, Samuel Sanchez, and Alberto Contador, continued their legacy. Now, the Vuelta is one of modern Spain’s greatest sporting events. Its maillot rojo is sought by cycling’s brightest stars. It’s often the most exciting of the three grand tours.
Last year’s duel between Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz is a case in point. The two champions, who have both since won Olympic gold medals, traded blows day in and day out for three weeks, before Roglič managed to win by just 24 seconds.
The Vuelta’s race course always contributes to the drama. Spain may lack iconic climbs such as the Alpe d’Huez and the Stelvio that will always draw spectators, but the Vuelta’s designers have spent the past couple of decades seeking out the steepest mountain tracks in the country. The race is known for its explosive uphill finales and brutal cols.
Close to half of the stages of this year’s race are summit finishes. Short, steep ones, such as the Balcón de Alicante, where stage 7 finishes, favour puncheurs like Michael Matthews. Pure climbers such as Sepp Kuss will target the longer finales, like stage 17, which ends on the monster climb to the Lagos de Covadonga in the Picos de Europa. The next day’s uphill arrival on the Gaimoniteiru might be even harder. Its final concrete pitches reach up to 17%. If the general classification is at all close—and it is likely to be—the pure climbers will struggle to keep up with the overall contenders.
