2017 Vuelta a España Race Preview
The details of this year's 2017 Vuelta a España are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The 2017 Vuelta a España promises to be one of the most compelling editions of the Spanish grand tour in recent memory, with a course that looks tailor-made for the pure climbers and a starting list that reads like a who's who of modern cycling's elite.
The race gets underway in Nîmes, France, with a team time trial that will immediately shake up the general classification and could prove significant come the final reckoning in Madrid three weeks later. Teams with strong collective engines will be looking to bank precious seconds from the very first day, and those with weaker lineups may find themselves on the back foot before the race has even reached Spanish soil.
Chris Froome arrives as the overwhelming favourite after his dominant Tour de France victory just weeks earlier. The Team Sky leader has shown in recent years that he can maintain his form and focus across multiple grand tours in a single season, and his team's depth and tactical sophistication make them the benchmark against which all rivals must measure themselves. However, the Vuelta has historically been kinder to more explosive climbers, and the mountainous parcours this year could suit those who can attack repeatedly on punishing gradients rather than simply riding a relentless tempo.
Vincenzo Nibali represents perhaps the most credible threat to Froome. The Sicilian is one of the most complete riders in the peloton and has shown throughout his career an ability to read races tactacally and strike at precisely the right moment. His Bahrain-Merida squad will be fully committed to supporting him, and on the right day in the Spanish mountains, he has the firepower to put Sky under serious pressure.
Alberto Contador will be riding what he has announced will be the final grand tour of his extraordinary career, and the emotion surrounding his farewell will add a compelling narrative thread to the entire race. Contador's history with the Vuelta is rich, having won it twice before, and there will be no shortage of goodwill from fans lining the roads of Spain hoping to see one last moment of magic from the man who has lit up cycling for well over a decade. Whether his legs can match the sentiment is another question, but one would be foolish to discount him entirely on the roads he knows better than almost anyone.
Fabio Aru of Astana is another contender who cannot be overlooked. The young Sardinian has been building steadily towards genuine grand tour leadership and possesses the climbing ability to cause problems for anyone on the steep ramps the Vuelta routinely serves up. He is still developing the consistency required to win three weeks of racing at the highest level, but the signs are that he is moving in the right direction.
Esteban Chaves, Andrew Talansky, and a handful of other ambitious climbers will be hoping that the favourites cancel each other out and open the door for an opportunistic raid on the overall classification. The Vuelta has a tradition of producing unexpected heroes, and the race's willingness to include truly brutal summit finishes means that surprises are always possible.
The mountain stages are, as ever, the heart of the race. The organisers have constructed a route with multiple high-altitude finishes that will test every rider's reserves of strength and willpower. The final week in particular looks savage, with a succession of difficult days that could completely transform the standings and render earlier calculations irrelevant.
The time trial element will also be worth watching closely. Froome's ability to dominate against the clock is well established, and any rival hoping to beat him overall will likely need to limit their losses to a manageable margin before the race reaches its individual test of riding against the watch.
Three weeks of heat, dust, and dramatic climbing await, and the 2017 Vuelta a España looks set to deliver the kind of sporting theatre that makes cycling's final grand tour of the season so enduringly appealing.
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