The 2018 podium of Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Enric Mas (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) and Miguel Ángel López (Astana) was on hand for the route presentation, announced at the ADDA auditorium in Alicante
Movistar's Alejandro Valverde, the new world champion, was also there for the reveal of the 3,272.2km route which includes eight uphill finishes, five of which are new.
“It’s going to be a hard but very interesting Vuelta, with surprises, intrigue and emotion guaranteed. Short but intense stages, including innovation and new and unprecedented ascents. The Vuelta brand is what it is, and we will never give it up, to the contrary, we seek to strengthen it”, stated Javier Guillén, La Vuelta’s General Manager.
The final Grand Tour of the season will start at Salinas de Torrevieja with a team time trial, the first of three stages to take place on the Costa Blanca. Once on its way, the peloton will depart the province of Alicante and head to Valencia, Teruel, Castellón, Tarragona and Barcelona.
Enric Mas (L), Simon Yates (C) and Miguel Angel Lopez. (Getty) Source: Getty
The general classification will start to take shape during these initial stages, which include several sprints and new uphill finishes that will begin to set the top riders apart.
La Vuelta 19 will experience an initial turning before the first rest day, during one of its queen stages. The spectacular mountain stage in the Principality of Andorra includes a chain of some of the harshest mountain passes in Andorra and a new ascent to Coll d’Engolasters with a 4km sterrato track link section.
The race then crosses the border to France, returning to the Peninsula via Navarre, the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias, where it will visit some familiar peaks and also some new ones for this year, such as Santuario del Acebo or Alto de La Cubilla, to the delight of mountain climbers.
Stage 9 will be short and include a flat 4km gravel track to the final climb to Cortals d’Encamp. Source: Supplied
During its final week, the race moves to the Central System, alternating between Castile–La Mancha, Castile and León and the Community of Madrid. With a ‘leg-breaking’ final in the Gredos and Guadarrama mountains, traversing La Vuelta’s mythical mountain passes such as La Morcuera, which brought us a heart-stopping finish during La Vuelta 15 when Fabio Aru took the red jersey from Tom Dumoulin during stage 20.
SBS will broadcast every stage of the 2019 Vuelta a España live.
