The next Vuelta a España, which will be held from August 17 to September 8, 2024, will remain faithful to its usual personality, and the commitment of the 21 stages with 9 high finishes and 2 time trials, the initial one in Lisbon and the final in Madrid, is summarized by the director of the round, Javier Guillén, in the concepts of “mountain, toughness and relentless battle until the end.”
“This year’s route is one more step in the desire to internationalize the event with the departure from Lisbon, which already had the experience in 1997. We want to promote the possibility of going abroad, as we already did in France (Nîmes) and Countries Bajos (Assen and Utrecht), and with regular visits to Andorra,” commented Guillén.
For the person responsible for the Vuelta, the 2024 edition “is faithful to its DNA of innovation, tradition and toughness, seeking spectacle until the last kilometer. It is defined by its intensity from start to finish. All stages will be contested, with your daily points of interest”.
Guillén considers that the Vuelta “will make some things clear with its arrival in Granada”, in the ninth stage, with the ascent to Purche and the double pass through Hazallanas. From there Galicia and Asturias will arrive, this time with the novelty of doing a high mountain stage ending in Lagos de Covadonga after the rest day. This time there will be no time trial in that race context.”
Guillén also pointed out the explosive nature of the last week of the race, with notable attractions such as the aforementioned Lakes of Covadonga, the Alto de Moncalvillo, the Picón Blanco on the last Saturday and the final time trial in Madrid, an unusual, and perhaps decisive, event that It will mark the end of the party.
“The mountains, the hardness and the relentless battle characterize this Vuelta. I think it is harder than the previous one. The high finishes offer a spectacle. With the runners we currently have, it is obligatory to put in demanding routes. It is something that the Vuelta does like hallmark, and both the Tour and the Giro see it, each one with its personality, but trying to find the spectacle,” he explained.
Stage 17 of the Vuelta a España 2022 (Reference image).
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On this occasion the Vuelta will not end with a stage of processing and sprint in La Castellana, but instead opts for a 22 kilometer time trial on Gran Vía, next to the Telefónica headquarters building, a company that is celebrating its centenary.
“The time trial is held on the occasion of Telefónica’s Centennial. At the proposal of this company and the City Council, we will carry out the nice gesture of uniting the headquarters of the Telefónica District and Gran Vía 28, where the time trial will end. However, the ceremony of the podium will remain in Cibeles,” Guillen clarified.
Excited about leaving Portugal, Guillén referred to “a country that makes us feel at home,” and his desire in sports is for there to be entertainment every day “and for everything to be decided in Madrid.”
Regarding the imbalances that occurred in the 2023 edition, Guillén commented that “beyond the circumstances of last year with the rain in Barcelona”, the first stage will begin earlier.
2023-12-20 01:23:03
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