The 22 teams participating in La Vuelta 23 confirmed their line-ups on the eve of stage 1 in Barcelona, including the winners of the last four Grand Tours. Wonderkids such as Juan Ayuso, Cian Uijtdebroeks or Romain Grégoire also gear up with ambitions. “We’re not gonna stop ourselves!”, Lenny Martinez announces. La Vuelta 23 will be covered all around the world with a TV broadcast in 190 countries and live content on the official platforms of the event, with the addition of Tik Tok as a new partner.
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE CAST
After the teams confirmed their line-ups on the eve of stage 1, the fans can expect thrilling action delivered by the best riders in the world, including the winners of the last four editions of the Spanish Grand Tour, Remco Evenepoel (2022) and Primoz Roglic (2019, 20 and 21, also winner of the Giro 2023), alongside the reigning Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard.
The Dane is joined by two of his predecessors in yellow, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal, as well as riders who already know the podium of La Vuelta, like Enric Mas (2nd in 2018, 21 and 22) and Juan Ayuso (3rd in 2022).
Another sign of the level is the presence of several reigning world champions, crowned a few weeks ago in Scotland, such as Remco Evenepoel (elite time trial), Lorenzo Milesi (U23 time trial) or the New Zealand mountain biker Sam Gaze, who won the short track and is now making his debut in a Grand Tour. The riders of La Vuelta 23 have accumulated 42 stage wins in La Vuelta, including 10 for Roglic.
WONDERKIDS TAKE ON LA VUELTA
Among the 176 entrants, 29 still belong in the U23 category, including the defending champion Remco Evenepoel, who will turn 24 years old next January. The youngest rider starting in Barcelona is Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ), who already impressed in the Volta a Catalunya (12th overall). The French climber was born in July 2003 (Luis Leon Sanchez was already headed to Once-Eroski as a trainee), a few months after Max Poole (DSM-Firmenich) and Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Born in 2002, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) has the strongest credentials, including a podium result in last year’s La Vuelta… But Uijtdebroeks is a Tour de l’Avenir winner (2022) rapidly rising through the professional ranks, Lorenzo Milesi (DSM-Firmenich) comes straight off impressive performances in the U23 Worlds (winner of the ITT, 5th in the road race), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) has already claimed five professional victories in impressive fashion… And the rest are gearing up to show their talent!
YOUNG AND AMBITIOUS: “WE’RE NOT GONNA STOP OURSELVES”
Not long ago, Max Poole used to “come back home from school and watch Grand Tours. It’s a big challenge I’m excited to take on, I’m looking forward to what’s to come!” Poole and his DSM-Firmenich teammate Oscar Onley come to La Vuelta with a similar approach: “Myself and Max want to learn how to ride for the GC and at a certain point we’ll assess if we still focus on this goal or if we go for stages and breakaways.”
Romain Grégoire and Lenny Martinez also expressed their delight with the opportunity given to them by Groupama-FDJ. “The elder riders always say a Grand Tour is where you get to the next level”, explained Grégoire, who has identified “three or four stages where I’ll do everything to be in the breakaway and battle for the win”. Martinez eyes the overall standings: “It’s impressive to be here but once we race, everything will be fine. It’s a chance to learn but also to get results. We’re not gonna stop ourselves!”
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe) will “start with a free role” and expects to “enjoy La Vuelta. I think I couldn’t be in a better team to start a first GT, I have a lot of guys around who have good experiences and I have none.” Only a couple of years older, Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-Samsic) assumes “the legs will hurt! But I’ve learned a lot this season, growing as a leader, and I can make more steps here.”
ERVITI, TWO PARTICIPATIONS AWAY FROM THE RECORD
There will also be veterans in the peloton of La Vuelta 23, which will see the 15th participation of Imanol Erviti. The 39-year-old rider from Navarre, who replaced Carlos Verona in Movistar’s line-up at the last minute, will be two participations away from Íñigo Cuesta's record (17), which Alejandro Valverde was just one participation away from equalling (16). He is followed by Luis León Sánchez (14). David De La Cruz and Robert Gesink will be taking part in their 10th La Vuelta.
The oldest rider in La Vuelta 23 will be Asturian Dani Navarro (Burgos-BH), who will start the race this Saturday at the age of 40 years and 40 days. Interestingly, this time the country with the most participants will be France (30 riders), followed by Spain (28), Belgium (20) and Italy (16).
HOW TO FOLLOW LA VUELTA 23
The fans will be able to follow La Vuelta on all platforms, from the media covering the event to the official race channels. The live TV coverage will be available in 190 countries and will include full broadcast on seven stages( 1, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21).
The best moments and live information will be available on the official website, the official app and on social networks with the hashtag #LaVuelta23 (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and Twitch). Thanks to a new agreement, TikTok will carry all the excitement of La Vuelta through exclusive content. In addition, fans will also be able to get even more involved by playing the La Vuelta Fantasy by Tissot.
