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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 Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the race was first organised 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 the Amaury Sport Organisation acquired control. Since then, they have been 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.
Roberto Heras Hernández is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer who won the Vuelta a España a record four times. Between 1997 and 2005 he finished in the top 5 of the Vuelta every year except 1998 when he finished 6th. He won a record-tying three times, and then broke the record with a fourth win in 2005, but he was eventually disqualified after being accused of taking EPO. Heras chose to fight the accusations and this resulted in a lengthy court case and appeal process.
Pedro Delgado Robledo, also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989. He finished in the top 10 of eighteen Grand Tours.
Movistar Team is a professional road bicycle racing team which participates at UCI WorldTeam level and has achieved thirteen general classification (GC) victories in Grand Tours. The title sponsor is the Spanish mobile telephone company Telefónica, with the team riding under the name of the company's brand Movistar.
Francisco Mancebo Pérez is a Spanish professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Matrix Powertag. He initially rode for team Illes Balears–Banesto, but moved to AG2R Prévoyance in 2006.
Carlos Sastre Candil is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer and winner of the 2008 Tour de France. He consistently achieved outstanding results in the Vuelta a España and in the Tour de France. Sastre established himself as a strong and stable climbing specialist, and after working to improve his individual time trial skills, he became a contender for the top GC spots in the Grand Tours. In total, Sastre finished in the top ten of fifteen Grand Tours during his career, and finished on the podium of each of them. Sastre never tested positive for drugs, nor was he implicated in any doping investigation, even though he performed at the top level of cycling.
Denis Nikolayevich Menshov is a former professional Russian road bicycle racer, who rode as a professional between 2000 and 2013. He was best known as a general classification rider, a climber and an accomplished time trialist. In 2005 he finished second in the Vuelta a España and in 2007 he finished as the champion. He also won the centenary Giro d'Italia in 2009 and finished second in the Tour de France in 2010 becoming the first Russian to do so. He was later disqualified from that Tour de France, as well as the 2009 and 2012 editions, owing to adverse biological passport findings.
Samuel "Samu" Sánchez González is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally in the sport between 2000 and 2017 for the Euskaltel–Euskadi and BMC Racing Team squads. He was the gold medal winner in the road race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the following years Sánchez proved himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton. He was also known as one of the best descenders in the peloton. He finished in the top 6 of the Tour de France three times and in the top 10 of the Vuelta a España 6 times. Other notable achievements include winning the Vuelta a Burgos in 2010, the 2012 Tour of the Basque Country and five stages of the Vuelta a España.
Julián Berrendero Martín was a Spanish road racing cyclist. He is most famous for having won the third and fourth editions of the Vuelta a España in 1941 and 1942. He won the 1941 race after having spent 18 months in a Francoist concentration camp. In addition, he won a total of three mountains jerseys at the Vuelta and the Tour de France
- “Berrendero was a marked man, a public figure who had supported the Republican cause. As soon as he reached the Spanish border, Franco’s men arrested him and threw him into a concentration camp, where he remained for 18 months. He survived the camps, which were characterized by disease, malnourishment and frequent beatings, but to what physical and mental cost? He was only 27 and should have been at the height of his cycling career.”
Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga is a retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist. His biggest victory was capturing the 1982 Vuelta a España, a Grand Tour stage race, and he is the inaugural and record three-time winner of the Clásica de San Sebastián, which is now considered a one-day classic. In 1989, Lejarreta captured the Volta a Catalunya repeating one of his first professional wins in 1980 at the same event.
David Arroyo Durán is a Spanish cyclist, who currently competes in mountain biking for the Primaflor–Mondraker–XSauce team. He is also a former professional road bicycle racer, who rode between 2001 and 2018 for the ONCE–Eroski, LA Alumínios–Pecol, Movistar Team, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA and Efapel teams.
Amets Txurruka Ansola is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2016 for the Barloworld, Euskaltel–Euskadi, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA and Orica–BikeExchange teams.
Fabio Enrique Parra Pinto is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. Parra was successful as an amateur in Colombia, winning the Novatos classification for new riders or riders riding their first edition of the race, and finishing 14th in the 1979 Vuelta a Colombia and then the General classification in the 1981 Vuelta a Colombia. He also competed in the individual road race event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Alberto Fernández Blanco was a Spanish road racing cyclist. His son Alberto Fernández Sainz is also a road racing cyclist.
Federico Echave Musatadi is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the prestigious stage up to Alpe d'Huez in 1987 Tour de France. Echave holds the record for most Vueltas finished, 14, all of them being consecutive.
Pedro Muñóz Machín Rodríguez is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He won a stage in the 1981 Vuelta a España and finished on the podium in 2nd place overall.
José Luis Laguía Martínez is a retired Spanish road cyclist and climber. He won a record five mountains classifications at the Vuelta a España during his career. As a faithful Domestique of Pedro Delgado he followed his leader to PDM–Ultima–Concorde when he left Reynolds.
Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, ODB, is a Colombian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Movistar Team.
Miguel Ángel López Moreno is a Colombian cyclist, who last rode for UCI Continental team Team Medellín–EPM.
Enric Mas Nicolau is a Spanish racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Movistar Team. Mas is primarily a climber and general classification contender. He has found the most success at the Vuelta a España, where he won a stage in 2018, has finished second overall 3 times, and twice won the young riders classification. Mas's achievements also include winning the 2019 Tour of Guangxi, a stage win at the Tour of the Basque Country, and a victory at the one-day classic Giro dell'Emelia.
References
- ↑ Martin, Stanley (14 September 2012). "Billy Kerr Honest Workman". Rás Tailteann . Retrieved 6 June 2014.
