Favourites for La Vuelta 2020

Favourites for La Vuelta 2020. Finally, it’s here! The 75^th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour kicks off on Tuesday 20 October in Irún (the Basque Country). Cycling fans from around the world will be glued to their tvs. As an official operator for La Vuelta here are our views on the race’s main contenders.

Pro-cycling, Covid-19 and Favourites for La Vuelta 2020 

The Covid-19 pandemic has shaped the cycling season and it was unknown whether La Vuelta would even start. But as I sit here writing this, one eye on the positive Covid results coming in from Giro d’Italia, the cycling community is doing its best. For the fans, professionals, teams, sponsors and the infrastructure that relies on this great event whilst weighing up the serious health concerns.

With Covid dramatically on the rise once again in Spain, La Vuelta organisers have banned the public from access to the main climbs. They are rolling out an advertising campaign on Spanish TV and radio asking fans to please stay at home. The success and finale of the recent Tour de France provided an amazing sporting moment between the victor Pogačar and the vanquished Roglič, that hopefully history will prove was worth the inherent risks. We wish for the same spectacular outcome for La Vuelta a España 2020 and the peloton make it victoriously to Madrid for the last stage on November 8.

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Famous Vuelta Climbs for the Best Climbers

With this year’s Vuelta crossing the last week of the Giro, the teams had to think carefully about their priorities and team leaders. However, the result is an incredibly strong field and it promises to be an amazing race. The route, shortened to 18 stages from its regular 21, includes some of the most famous summits in cycling (the monster Angliru, the legendary Col du Tourmalet and the showdown at La Covatilla) and a 33.5km time trial. With the cold weather this time of year in the North of Spain and French Pyrenees (the race was postponed from the warmer August), rain, ice and even snow are likely to be a key game-changer for the peloton. Once again, the testing parcours will favour the best and bravest climbers.

Who is invited to the Vuelta a España 2020?

There are 19 World Tour teams that received the automatic invite to the race and 3 wildcard teams were chosen by the organiser, Unipublic / ASO: Spanish Pro Continental teams Burgos-BH and Caja Rural, plus French team Total-Direct Energie. All teams have 8 riders. There is a full start list of teams and riders below, including our favourites for La Vuelta 2020

Chris Froome (Ineos Grenadiers) – With nothing left to prove in cycling, but everything more to achieve, Chris Froome starts La Vuelta as a favourite on his palmarès, not on his form. The best rider of his generation, Froome a 4x winner of the TdF, a Giro and 2x Vuelta, hopes to compete for the GC after his career threatening crash in June 2019. This will be his last race for Ineos (once Team Sky) before his move to Israel Start Up Nation. A top ten finish would be an incredible achievement. Never say never with Froome. 

Thibault Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) – Winner of stages in all 3 Grand Tours, Pinot has always been seen as a promising French talent. However, as the years advance (he is now 30), could he finally fulfil his potential with a win at La Vuelta? A favourite rider of many fans, it would be fantastique for him to be the first French winner since Laurent Jalabert in 1995.

Tom Dumoulin (Team Jumbo-Visma) – The winner of the Giro crown in 2017, Dumoulin came close in 2018 to adding to his Grand Tour victory with 2^nd places in both the TdF and Giro again. However, a terrible 2019 due to injury saw him leave Team Sunweb and sign for the powerful TJV. Supporting Roglič in this year’s Tour and still placing 7^th, could Roglič be helping Dumoulin to his first Vuelta title? Dumoulin knows what it takes to wear red after narrowly losing the race in 2015 to Fabio Aru on the penultimate day.

Notable Others at La Vuelta 2020

Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana) – Young Russian starlet leads the team, with 5 Spaniards in support including Luis Leon Sanchez and Omar Fraile.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) – The ever green and consistent Valverde races his last Grand Tour.

Sepp Kuss (Team Jumbo-Visma) – If the races points to Kuss, he will have Roglič and Dumoulin in support (and Bennett and Gesink!)

Dan Martin (Israel Start Up Nation) – Can Martin deliver a stage win, his first at La Vuelta since 2011?

Esteban Chaves (Mitchelon-Scott) – Fan’s favourite who hopes to add to his podium and stage wins at the La Vuelta

Daniel Martínez (EF Pro Cycling) – Leader of the “Duck jersey team”, Martinez recently won a stage in the TdF and moves to Ineos Grenadiers in 2021

Sam Bennett (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – Not for the GC, but the green jersey sensation from the TdF comes to try his Irish luck in Spain

La Vuelta 2020 Full Start List

Movistar Team (Spain)

VALVERDE Alejandro
MAS Enric
ERVITI Imanol
ARCAS Jorge
ROJAS José Joaquín
OLIVEIRA Nelson
SOLER Marc
VERONA Carlos

Astana Pro Team (Kazakhstan)

VLASOV Aleksandr
IZAGIRRE Ion
ARANBURU Alex
IZAGIRRE Gorka
FRAILE Omar
GRUZDEV Dmitriy
SANCHEZ Luis León
KUDUS Merhawi

Groupama – FDJ (Fra)

PINOT Thibaut
GAUDU David
ROUX Anthony
ARMIRAIL Bruno
LE GAC Olivier
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
SEIGLE Romain
LADAGNOUS Matthieu

UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

COSTA Rui
FORMOLO Davide
PHILIPSEN Jasper
OLIVEIRA Ivo
DE LA CRUZ David
COVI Alessandro
HENAO Sergio Luis
RIABUSHENKO Aleksandr

Burgos-BH (Spain)

MADRAZO Ángel
BOL Jetse
SMIT Willie
OSORIO Juan Felipe
MOLENAAR Alexander
CABEDO Óscar
CUBERO Jorge
EZQUERRA Jesús

Team Sunweb (Ger)

KANTER Max
SÜTTERLIN Jasha
POWER Robert
STORER Michael
ARENSMAN Thyman
SALMON Martin
DONOVAN Mark
VAN WILDER Ilan