SBS: Cycling Central

Spain, 29 Aug - 20 Sep 09

The youngest and third and final race of the three Grand Tours, the Vuelta, races over 3200 kilometers and 21 days over three weeks. First held in 1935 the Vuelta presents to the riders a Spanish flavour of racing. The overall leader wears the Gold Jersey. Other jerseys honour the best and the best sprinter as well as jerseys for as for points classification and a combination category.

The Vuelta was inspired by the success of the Tours in France and Italy, and the boost they brought to the circulations of their sponsoring newspapers.

It was formerly held in the spring, but since 1995 the race has been run in September with the finale traditionally held in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

In 1999 for the first time, the course crossed the Alto de El Angliru in Asturias which climbs 1,573 meters (5,160 feet) over 12.9 km (8 mi.) with grades as steep as 23.6 percent making it one of the steepest in Europe.

The overall leader wears the Gold Jersey —the Spanish counterpart to the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Other jerseys honour the best climber and the best sprinter.

The Vuelta may not be as highly regarded as the Giro or Tour de France but it is still a tough and very good Tour to win, Spaniards may have dominated the Vuelta, winning 28 of the 63 races held but riders of other nations continue to feature prominently in the race results.