Quintana lines up for Vuelta

Tour de France runner up Nairo Quintana is the latest of cycling's big hitters to confirm his participation at the upcoming Vuelta a España.

Nairo Quintana will be hoping to improve upon his Tour de France second place in the mountainous 2015 Vuelta a España. Source: AAP

The Movistar rider confirmed overnight that he will start the 2015 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour alongside teammate and former Vuelta winner Alejandro Valverde.

Quintana will join BMC Racing's Tejay van Garderen, Astana's Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru, and potentially even 2015 Tour de France victor Chris Froome in an increasingly stacked Vuelta field.

The Vuelta's mountainous course is likely to suit Quintana, although riding the Tour and the Vuelta in quick succession may impact his form. Quintana will also be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's Vuelta, which saw him crash heavily on stages 10 and 11 before quitting the race (highlights below).

Other confirmed Vuelta starters include Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Garmin), Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin).

Movistar will announce the remainder of its Vuelta team in a few days.

The Vuelta a España begins on 22 August with a team time trial in the resort of Puerto Banus in the Costa del Sol. SBS will broadcast and livestream the final eight stages of the Vuelta a España with a daily highlights show planned for all stages.