2013 Vuelta a España Race Preview
The details of this year's 2013 Vuelta a España are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The 2013 Vuelta a España promises to be one of the most compelling editions of the Spanish grand tour in recent memory, with a genuinely open field and a route that should produce aggressive, unpredictable racing from the opening weekend onwards.
The race gets underway in Galicia, with a team time trial in Vilanova de Arousa providing an early opportunity for the stronger squads to stamp their authority on the general classification. From there the peloton heads into terrain that will steadily strip away any pretenders, with the Vuelta's habitually punishing climbing on the agenda throughout a parcours that repeatedly targets the high mountains of northern and central Spain.
Chris Froome arrives as a natural favourite following his commanding performance at the Tour de France, where he demolished the field with a combination of clinical climbing and formidable time trialling. The Sky rider will be targeting back to back grand tour victories and his physical condition makes him a threat that every rival must plan around. However the Vuelta has historically proven resistant to the kind of total domination that Froome displayed in France, and the course suits a wider range of climbers.
Alejandro Valverde will carry enormous home support and arrives in superb form, having demonstrated throughout the season that he is capable of mixing it with the very best across multiple terrain types. Alberto Contador, riding for Saxo-Tinkoff, will be desperate to reclaim the race he won in 2012 and will have the crowd firmly behind him as he targets redemption on familiar roads.
Robert Gesink, Joaquim Rodriguez and Nicolas Roche are among those who could cause significant disruption to the pre-race order, while the sprinters will be hunting the flat stages before the serious business of selection begins in the mountains.
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