August 31 update: A work in progress for Vuelta a Espana 2010 worldwide tv coverage and online video streaming. Most live feeds will be country restricted, but unrestricted links will appear in bold. Check back at race time for more links. Feel free to send in additional sources for live video, tv coverage or text updates/tickers as they become known. — Steve
Stage 4 results: Igor Anton wins the steep, narrow finish in Valdepeñas de Jaén
25 Big Photos from Stage 4 — sirotti + reuters
Full Results (Click 'Stage Standing') — lavuelta
Anton wins on climb to Valdepeñas de Jaén — cyclingnews
Igor Anton klimt naar zege, Gilbert (5e) blijft leider — sporza.be
Igor Anton wins Vuelta a Espana stage 4 — velonews
Gilbert hangs on to Vuelta lead; Belgian digs deep to stay in the red jersey — cyclingnews
Last Km (03:03 spanish) — rtve.es
Winnner's Interview (01:37 spanish) — rtve.es
Last 4 km (10:59 flemish) — sporza
Stage 4 Highlights (03:34 restricted to U.S.) — universalsports
Last Km
(video restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Laurent Fignon remembered
— cyclingnews
25 Big Photos from Stage 4 — sirotti + reuters
Graham Watson Stage 4 Photos — grahamwatson
August 30 update:
Stage 4 Interactive map and written preview (also in Français) — steephill.tv
Stage 3 results: Philippe Gilbert jumps with 600m to go for the uphill finish win in Malaga
18 Big Photos from Stage 3 — sirotti + reuters
Full Results (Click 'Stage Standing') — lavuelta
Gilbert prevails in Málaga — cyclingnews
Philippe Gilbert wins stage 3 at Vuelta, dons leader’s jersey — velonews
Gilbert wint en wordt leider in de Vuelta — sporza.be
Gilbert attacks to win Vuelta stage three and take race lead — cyclingweekly.co.uk
Christian Vande Velde brushes off Vuelta a Espana crash caused by olive oil — velonews
Last Km
(video restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Last Km (02:44 ambient noise) — rtve.es
Stage 3 Highlights (03:17 restricted to U.S.) — universalsports
18 Big Photos from Stage 3 — sirotti + reuters
Last 5 km (10:59 flemish) — sporza
Stage 3 Highlights: Gilbert triunfa en Gibralfaro (01:01 spanish) — rtve.es
Graham Watson Stage 3 Photos — grahamwatson
August 29 update:
Stage 3 Interactive map and written preview (also in Français and Российская) — steephill.tv
Official startlist (with bib numbers) — steephill.tv
Monday's Stage 3 to present first difficulties at 2010 Vuelta — velonation
Stage 2 results: Yahueni Hutarovich surprises the big names to claim the first sprint finish
13 Big Photos from Stage 2 — sirotti + reuters
Full Results (Click 'Stage Standing') — lavuelta
Hutarovich stuns in Marbella — cyclingnews
Goetarovitsj verrast Cavendish en co in Vuelta — sporza.be
While we wait for Stage 2 photos. Clearly, the Mediterranean, hot or cold, suits today's Vuelta winner: Yahueni Hutarovich adds a Vuelta win to his early season wins (Tour de Med Stage 1 Photos)
Yauheni Hutarovich wins stage 2 of the 2010 Vuelta’ Mark Cavendish holds lead — velonews
[Heat] Sick Cavendish loses to Hutarovich in sprint finish — news.yahoo
Last Km
(video restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Last 5 km (08:29 unrestricted) — eurosport
13 Big Photos from Stage 2 — sirotti + reuters
Stage 2 Highlights (03:21 restricted to U.S.) — universalsports
Sprint finish clip (00:24 spanish) — rtve.es
Graham Watson Stage 2 Photos — grahamwatson
Stage 2 Highlights: La sorpresa se llama Hutarovich (2:59 spanish and unrestricted) — rtve.es
Stage 2 Rider Reactions — dailypeloton
Hutarovitch comes of age with Vuelta stage win
— cyclingnews
August 28 update:
Stage 2 Interactive map and written preview (also en français and Российская) — steephill.tv
Official startlist (with bib numbers) — steephill.tv
Stage 1 results: HTC-Columbia easily wins the opening TTT under the lights in Sevilla; Mark Cavendish is the first to wear the new red leader's jersey
15 Big Photos from Stage 1 — sirotti + reuters
Stage 1 results
1 Team HTC-Columbia 14:06 (Mark Cavendish race leader)
2 Liquigas-Doimo + 0:10
3 Saxo Bank + 0:13
4 Cervélo + 0:13
5 Lampre-Farnese Vini + 0:14
6 Garmin-Transitions + 0:17
7 Omega Pharma-Lotto + 0:17
8 Team Milram + 0:18
9 Team Katusha + 0:20
10 Quick Step + 0:23
11 Caisse d'Epargne + 0:25
12 Xacobeo Galicia + 0:26
13 Euskaltel-Euskadi + 0:27
14 Team Sky + 0:28
15 Cofidis + 0:28
16 FDJ + 0:33
17 AG2R + 0:33
18 Rabobank + 0:33
19 Bouygues Telecom + 0:39
20 Astana + 0:41
21 Andalucía-CajaSur + 0:49
22 Footon-Servetto-Fuji + 0:57
Cavendish claims first leader's jersey — cyclingnews
HTC-Columbia wins Vuelta opener, puts Mark Cavendish into overall lead — velonews
Team van Cavendish wint de Vuelta-proloog
— sporza.be
15 Big Photos from Stage 1 — sirotti + reuters
Stage 1 Highlights (Verslag)
(video restricted to Belgium) — sporza.be
Stage 1 Highlights (02:09 restricted to U.S.) — universalsports
Graham Watson Stage 1 Photos — grahamwatson
9 Big Photos from the Teams Presentation — sirotti
Stage 1 Reactions — dailypeloton
Rabobank and Sky have troublesome day at Vuelta a España team time trial opener — velonation
Stage 1 Highlights (2:45 spanish and unrestricted) — rtve.es
Mark Cavendish Post-Stage 1 Interview (2:02 english and unrestricted) — rtve.es
Stage 1 Highlights: Cavendish, primer líder de la Vuelta (1:29 spanish) — espndeportes.espn.go
August 28 update:
Stage 1 Interactive map and written preview — steephill.tv
Official startlist (now with bib numbers) — steephill.tv
Team time trial start times — cyclingnews
Night-time TTT clicks Vuelta a España into gear — velonews
9 Big Photos from the Teams Presentation — sirotti
Race Previews and Favorites
August 27 update:
The Vuelta's battle for sprint supremacy — cyclingnews
Fränk Schleck: ‘I can win the Vuelta a Espana’ — velonews
Contador absence leaves Spain tour open — AFP
American Tejay Van Garderen ready for Vuelta a Espana debut — velonews
August 26 update:
Nibali aims to reproduce home form at Vuelta — cyclingnews
Race director has no regrets about RadioShack snub, predicts ’spectacular’ race — velonews
Denis Menchov likes his chances at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana — velonews
Sastre names Menchov as Vuelta favourite
— cyclingnews
Mørkøv excluded from Vuelta over paperwork — cyclingnews
Venga, Venga Le Vuelta
: Preview, Favorites, Aussies — sbs.au
August 25 update:
Vuelta a España: 10 riders seeking season redemption — cyclingnews
Caisse d’Epargne confident it can fight for podium in Vuelta a España — velonation
Denis Menchov likes his chances at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana — velonews
Nibali, Kreuziger, to lead Liquigas at Vuelta a Espana — velonews
McEwen absent for Katusha at Vuelta — uk.eurosport.yahoo
HTC-Columbia names its Vuelta line-up — cyclingnews
HTC-Columbia aiming for stages with Cavendish and more — velonation
Quick Step chasing stages with youth and experience — velonation
Vande Velde to ride the Vuelta but reveals he almost quit the sport — cyclingnews
Also see the 'preview' links in the race summary table (right) for stage previews and other race info and the course preview from last December
2010 Interactive Stage Maps now posted
August 24 update: Interactive stage maps are now posted for all stages. Click on the 'preview' links in the race summary table. For each stage preview, there is an option to download the stage in Google Earth format (kmz) or for your GPS unit (gpx). The 'map' links point to the official (static) stage maps. The first of written previews are coming next along with this year's live coverage details. (Also, the profile links have been fixed) — Steve
2010 Provisional Startlist released
August 12 update:
2010 Startlist — steephill.tv
Provisional start list suggests glittering lineup for 2010 Vuelta a España — velonation
August 4-8 update: Vuelta a Burgos Live Dashboard: a hilly race in the north part of Spain is taking place this week. It's a 2HC race with a good startlist and live video. Check it out if you have Tour de France withdrawals and pre Vuelta anticipation.
July 26 update:
Schleck brothers, Denis Menchov, Mark Cavendish highlight Vuelta roster — velonews
2010 Vuelta teams announced; No RadioShack
June 14 update:
Organiser announces the teams for the 2010 Vuelta Espana — cyclingnews
Bruyneel "speechless" after Vuelta snub — cyclingnews
2010 Course Preview: The Spanish Tour turns red
From Seville to Madrid, the Vuelta once again wants a climber on top
Preview by Juan Bonilla, Seville, Spain
December 29 update: In April 1935, a few brave riders participated in the first Vuelta a España. They rode 3425 kilometers on steel bikes and the winner, Gustaaf Deloor enjoyed an orange jersey and a place in history of cycling. 75 years later the Vuelta organizers have presented a new edition. The trick is to add a few new twists each year to avoid the usual siesta where the Spanish TV spectator falls asleep while watching cycling after lunch.
It has been orange, white, red and white, yellow, gold, and now the leader's jersey will be red for the 75th Vuelta, the color the Spanish national teams wear in most other sports. This could mean that the organizers would like to see a Spaniard winning in Madrid more than usual. Believe me, that is what they want, and they have designed a course that favors the aggressive riders who perform well in the mountains and don't want to ride against the clock. There are four mountain-top finishes, including two new climbs, Cotobello and La Bola del Mundo, and an extension to Navacerrada which comes the day before the end and will likely decide the final podium of this edition.
Only one individual time trial will take place. 46 flat kilometers it's not a big deal if we see the list of big climbs this year: Xorret del Catí, Lagos de Covadonga, Cobertoria, Navacerrada. In a wise decision, time bonuses have been eliminated, meaning that the winner will be forced to attack when the hard slopes come. Apart from the big stages, we find a lot of hilly stages (Malaga, Alcoy) that will bring nervousness to the bunch. I guess sprinters will be thinking twice before coming to Vuelta, because there are only five stages that suit them well.
The 2010 Vuelta a España will be the only Grand Tour not to start in the Netherlands. In fact, the Tour of Spain will start in... Spain! Unipublic, the organizer, has chosen the city of Seville, not a cycling city but a big city with lots of fans and tourists in summer. The first stage is a 16.5-kilometer team time trial and will be the first night stage ever in the Vuelta. It sounds like a creative idea to hold a opening time trial after the sun goes down, but it's really the only choice they had. High temperatures turn Seville into a ghost town in summer afternoons. Locals wait for the summer night to arrive, so we can expect a lot of public welcoming the race. It's the Sevilla Show, but this name has not been used, probably after the outcome of something with a similar name last year. Teams have said it's a extremely technical course adding further difficulty to a night course.
During the first week we'll travel east, across Andalusia, with no time to relax: Marbella (2º day) may see a sprinter on the podium, but Malaga (3º day) is a really hard (and surely hot) medium mountain stage, climbing first category Puerto del León twice. The new red jersey should change hands in Malaga. Then, four days of uneven terrain stages with an exciting finish expected in Murcia, possibly the same outcome as last year when the breakaway split on the last climb of the day, the Cresta del Gallo, and Gerrands won a 4-men sprint.
On Saturday at the end of the first week, the course gets interesting at the sunny beaches of Alicante. After 180 kilometers and six minor climbs the riders will face the short and steep Alto de Xorret del Catí, whose gradients (20% in some sections) we enjoyed last year. Before leaving the Comunidad Valenciana, we have an interesting medium mountain stage finishing in Alcoy, a town famous for its Moros y Cristianos festival in the Spring.
Monday the 6th is a rest day in Catalonia. After a brief stop in Vilanova i la Gertrú (170.3 km), we hit the Pyrenees in the longest stage of this edition. There is only one Pyrenees mountaintop finish, because the race organizers found out some years ago that the Spanish and Andorran Pyrenees are not the most attractive mountains to climb in the Vuelta, so they'll save the mountain finishes for later. However, the 11th stage can still offer an interesting show. Beginning in Vilanova, 208 kilometers are enough for the important teams to develop their tactics. They will surely be patient, the last 62 kilometers are mostly uphill and once they enter Andorra, they will face the hardest part, as they climb Vallnord. In case you didn't know, Vallnord it's a renowned ski resort, and a great place for mountain bikers.
Two more flat stages follow in Lleida and Burgos -- both well suited for breakaways before the later stages hit the really big mountains in this Vuelta climaxing with a long weekend of pure climbing starting with 179 kilometers from Burgos to Cantabria. It's all hilly terrain and a final surprise within the last 10 km: the unusual Peña Cabarga, climbed only once before, in 1979, whose gradients are up to 18%. We should see a long uphill finish contested by the GC favorites... every second counts. Following Peña Cabarga comes the stage all fans are waiting for, Lagos de Covadonga. Long time Vuelta fans will know its profile without even looking: it's all flat along the northern coast, they'll pass through Cangas de Onís and its Roman bridge before the almost 13 kilometers climb to summit at 1110 meters above sea level, cheered by thousands of people. If you want to win the Vuelta, you must perform well on this climb rated Categoría Especial. Since it was discovered in 1983, this stage has featured in the Vuelta many times, becoming a legend for all the cycling aficionados in Spain.
If Lagos de Covadonga doesn't inflict enough pain, the Queen Stage on Monday will complete the job. 180 kilometers from the biggest city in Asturias, Gijón, to the third straight mountaintop finish. Three first category climbs are included: Alto de San Lorenzo, Puerto de la Cobertoria (where Alexandre Vinokourov won a stage in 2006) and the brand new climb Cotobello.
Recently discovered for cycling, but a popular place for paragliding, Cotobello has an average gradient of 8%. When these three days of suffering end, we will clearly see who has the legs to win this Vuelta a España and who chooses to withdraw during the rest day.
Leaving the North of Spain for the flat lands of Castille, the only individual time trial takes place in Peñafiel, in the heart of Ribera del Duero wine land. The organizers and their guests will be enjoying a glass of red wine while the riders do their best in this 46 kilometers of flat riding against the wind. It's the only chance for the specialists to shine in a Vuelta clearly designed for climbers. Two more or less flat stages in Salamanca and Toledo (beautiful old towns!) then the peloton will ride the last mountain stage, with an interesting innovation at the end. We'll climb Navacerrada, nothing new; we'll climb it twice, nothing new. But when the riders summit Navacerrada for the second time, they will continue climbing a few more kilometers to reach a point called La Bola del Mundo. Three kilometers at an average gradient of 12.4% and 21% in some sections is the perfect dessert for an exciting Vuelta.
The summit finish at La Bola del Mundo will welcome the last man to wear the leader's jersey of this editon. After that, he will only have to ride a hundred kilometers through Madrid where the remaining sprinters will fight the last battle and the winners in all classifications get their trophies. The 2010 route has received really positive reviews and comments because it offers tough climbs in all three weeks of race with some new and unpredictable stage ends. Non-climbers will surely take part in the Vuelta to prepare for the Worlds which proved good preparation for the hilly 2009 course. However, a flat 2010 worlds course in Australia will not appeal to most Vuelta riders.
Undoubtedly an interesting route for the 75th anniversary. Now it's up to the riders to fulfill expectations. — Juan Bonilla
December 16 update: The 2010 route has been announced:
Stages and Profiles — lavuelta
New Vuelta summit finish "spectacular" — cyclingnews
Celebrates 75th year with new night-time team time trial — typicallyspanish
Vuelta 2010: Route announced — cyclingnews
"Una Vuelta, dura, bonita y emocionante" (02:09) — rtve.es
Route Flyover: Menos crono y más montaña en 2010 (03:24) — rtve.es
Rider Reactions: Vuelta route gets positive reviews — velonews
2010 Route Map
October 20 update:
New summit finish for 2010 Vuelta? — cyclingnews
September 20 update:
Vuelta start in Seville for 2010 — cyclingnews
La noche de Sevilla, salida de la Vuelta 2010 — rtve.es
La Vuelta a España: Race leader will see red in 2010 — velonews
The complete 2010 Vuelta a Espana route announcement will be made on December 16th.
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