Over the last three years, Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic has made it to the top step of La Vuelta’s podium, but a provisional list of participants provided by each of the 23 participating teams shows that we have no less than five other previous champions to have experienced the same thrill: Alejandro Valverde (2009), Vincenzo Nibali (2010), Chris Froome (2011 and 2017), Nairo Quintana (2016) and Simon Yates (2018). This is an exceptional moment for La Vuelta as, since its creation in 1935, the maximum number of previous champions to take off from the starting line together was four. The last time this happened was in 2018, with Valverde, Nibali, Fabio Aru (winner in 2015) and Quintana.
Throughout the 22 editions held in the 21st century, the average number of previous winners to take their places for the first stage has been 2.31. Throughout its history, the Giro has had a maximum of five previous winners registering to compete at once, the most recent occasion of this was in 2009 (Stefano Garzelli, Gilberto Simoni, Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego and Danilo Di Luca, all Italian). The last time the Tour de France had that many was back in 1992 (Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond, Stephen Roche, Pedro Delgado and Miguel Indurain). However, the record among all the grand tours combined is held by the Grande Boucle, with seven winners taking their places at the 1994 starting line (Louis Trousselier, Lucien Petit-Breton, François Faber, Octave Lapize, Gustave Garrigou, Odiel Defraye and Philippe Thys). They were six already just the previous year (the same riders minus Thys), something that has not happened again since.
‘It is enormously appreciated that these champions of La Vuelta wish to return,’ says the race’s General Director, Javier Guillén. ‘Their loyalty is a true sign of acknowledgement for our event. For Valverde and Nibali, it will be the last time as they plan to retire at the end of the season and I have no doubt that the Dutch and Spanish public will show them the appreciation they deserve for their achievements. More generally, the return of previous champions to our roads means that our public is already used to their names, their faces and their racing styles. But, this year, people will also become familiar with new stars.’
The conclusion of Valverde’s career marks an important turning point for Spanish cycling. With regards to his succession, it is important to point out that two of the professional peloton’s largest teams (Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates), with many different line-up options, decided to recruit, respectively: Spanish champion, Carlos Rodríguez, 21 years old, and Juan Ayuso, 19 years old, to participate in a Grand Tour for the first time. On an international level, the young prodigy Remco Evenepoel will also compete in La Vuelta just a few days after his magnificent solitary triumph in the Clásica San Sebastián.
Among other great names present at the Official Departure from Utrecht on the 19th of August will be the World Champion, Julian Alaphilippe, and the Olympic Champion, Richard Carapaz. Much like the six competitors that have already won La Vuelta previously, each will participate with different objectives but with solid track records in the Spanish tour. During his only participation to date, the French rider won his first grand tour stage victory at Xorret de Catí (2018). He now returns in the hope of adding a third consecutive World Championship title to his tally. On his part, the Equatorian rider, that has already participated in La Vuelta on four occasions (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021), has a double need for revenge: with Roglic, who beat him two years ago, and with Jai Hindley, who took the pink jersey from him during the final mountain stage of the recent Giro. For the Australian rider, La Vuelta is his first opportunity to confirm his Italian victory in May.
