Friday, August 19 begins in Utrecht in the Netherlands the 77th edition of the Vuelta. No less than six former winners of the Tour of Spain are at the start. The race ends on September 11 in Madrid.
Six former winners of the event are taking part in the Tour of Spain 2022, who says better? Since its creation in 1935, the Vuelta has never had so many winners at the start of the race. Alejandro Valverde, Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana, Simon Yates and Primoz Roglic all made it to the top step of the podium. The latter has won the last three editions. The Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (42) and the Italian Vincenzo Nibali (37) will say goodbye to the Grand Tours since both have announced their retirement for the end of the season.
The Remco Evenepoel phenomenon
Other big names announced at the Grand Départ in Utrecht in the Netherlands include world champion Julian Alaphilippe and Olympic champion Richard Carapaz. Frenchman Alaphilippe won his first stage of a Grand Tour in Xorret de Cati in 2017, during his only participation in the event.
The Ecuadorian Carapaz finished second in the Vuelta during the 2020 edition. He will have the role of leader and will be accompanied in particular by the Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of the Giro in 2020, and Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, who recently won the Tour de Burgos.
Remco Evenepoel, teammate of Julian Alaphilippe will also be one of the big favorites and will start his second Grand Tour. After a Giro 2021 ended prematurely in the third week after a fall, the 22-year-old Belgian nugget, who scored a second victory in the Clasica San Sebastian on July 30, will test herself in a three-week race after ideal preparation. He will be able to answer the question that everyone is asking: what is his ability to win on a Grand Tour, he who is nicknamed “the new Merckx”?.