The Vuelta a España is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, the race was first organized in 1935. The race was prevented from being run by the Spanish Civil War and World War II in the early years of its existence; however, the race has been held annually since 1955. As the Vuelta gained prestige and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend all around the globe. Since 1979, the event has been staged and managed by Unipublic, until in 2014, when Amaury Sport Organisation acquired control, with both working together. The peloton expanded from a primarily Spanish participation to include riders from all over the world. The Vuelta is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the wild card teams that the organizers can invite.
Hendrik Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in Tour de France history with 62,885 km ridden. He won the 1979 Vuelta a España and the 1980 Tour de France.
The 1971 Tour de France was the 58th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 3,608-kilometre (2,242 mi) race consisted of 22 stages, including three split stages, starting in Mulhouse on 26 June and finishing at the Vélodrome de Vincennes in Paris on 18 July. There were three time trial stages and two rest days. Eddy Merckx of the Molteni team won the overall general classification, defending his title to win his third Tour de France in a row. Joop Zoetemelk (Flandria–Mars) finished second, 9:51 minutes behind, and Lucien Van Impe was third (Sonolor–Lejeune), just over 11 minutes in arrears.
Johannes Adrianus "Jan" Janssen is a Dutch former professional cyclist (1962–1972). He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the first Dutch rider to win either. He rode the Tour de France eight times and finished all but the first time. He won seven stages and wore the yellow jersey for two days. He was easily spotted in the peloton because of his blond hair and his glasses.
Jan Jozef Alfons Franciscus Krekels is a retired cyclist from the Netherlands. He became Olympic champion in the 100 km team time trial in 1968 with Joop Zoetemelk, René Pijnen and Fedor den Hertog; at the same Games he came in 11th in the road race. He also won the 19th stage of the Tour de France in 1971 and the prologue of Paris–Nice in 1970. He retired from professional cycling in 1978.
Steven Rooks is a former Dutch professional road racing cyclist known for his climbing ability. His professional career ran from 1982–1995.
The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 5 to 28 July. It consisted of 22 stages over 4,498 km (2,795 mi).
The 1954 Tour de France was the 41st edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 8 July to 1 August 1954. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,656 km (2,893 mi). The race was won by Louison Bobet, the second of his three consecutive wins.
José Manuel Fuente Lavandera was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist.
Wouter "Wout" Wagtmans was a Dutch road bicycle racer.
Gerardus "Gerrit" Petrus Voorting was a Dutch road cyclist who was active between 1947 and 1960. As an amateur he won the silver medal in the individual road race at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. In his professional career Voorting won two Tour de France stages and wore the yellow jersey for 4 days. Voorting died on 30 January 2015 in his home in Heemskerk at the age of 92, within a week of two other members of the Dutch men's team pursuit squad, Henk Faanhof and Joop Harmans. He was the elder brother of Olympic cyclist Adrie Voorting.
Gerben Karstens is a former professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands, who won the gold medal in the 100 km team trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, alongside Bart Zoet, Evert Dolman, and Jan Pieterse. At the same Olympics he finished 27th in the individual road race. Karstens ranks 6th in all-time stage wins in Vuelta a España history.
Jacobus ("Koos") Moerenhout is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer.
Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.
Edward Sels is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was professional from 1963 to 1972, winning 35 races. He was road champion of Belgium in 1961 (Military) and 1964. He won seven stages in the Tour de France and one in the Giro d'Italia. He wore the yellow jersey for two days in the 1964 Tour de France. His sister, Rosa Sels, was a cyclist too.
Albertus "Ab" Geldermans is a former Dutch professional road bicycle racer and directeur sportif. He was professional from 1959 to 1966 and rode seven editions of the Tour de France. In 1962 he finished fifth overall and wore the yellow jersey for two days. In 1960 Geldermans won Liège–Bastogne–Liège and won the Deutschland Tour. In 1962 he was Dutch road race champion. Afterwards he became directeur sportif of the Dutch national cycling team that competed in the 1967 Tour de France and directed Jan Janssen to victory in the 1967 Tour de France.
Willy Teirlinck is a retired Belgian road cyclist. He was professional from 1970 to 1986 and won 96 races. In 1975 he won the national title on the road. He rode Tour de France ten times and won three stages in 1972, one stage and one day in the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in 1973, and one stage in 1976. His other victories include individual stages of the Vuelta a España, Deutschland Tour, Étoile de Bessèges, Tour de Luxembourg, Tour de l'Oise as well as one day races Grand Prix Pino Cerami, Grand Prix de Fourmies and the Grand Prix de Denain. An annual cycling event Willy Teirlinck Classic takes place in his honor in Liedekerke.
Kas was a Spanish-based professional cycling team which was active from 1958 until 1979 and again for three years in the 1980s. Its name was derived from the name of the principal sponsor of the team, the soft drinks manufacturer, Kas. The team was principally based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Its riders typically wore a jersey that consisted of yellow and blue.
Serguei Outschakov is a Ukrainian former road bicycle racer. He won stages in all three Grand Tours. In 1997 Tour de France he finished first in the 11th stage but was relegated to third place for not holding his line in the final sprint. His Tour de France stage victory came in 1995 when he and Lance Armstrong broke away and Outschakov won in the sprint.
The 2017 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain between 19 August and 10 September 2017. The race was the 72nd edition of the Vuelta a España and the final Grand Tour of the 2017 cycling season. The race started in Nîmes, France, and finished in Madrid. It was the first time the race has started in France and only the third time it has started outside Spain, after 1997 (Portugal) and 2009 (Netherlands).
