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83-550: The event was first run on 23 May 1891, and the Derby of the Road as it was sometimes called, was notable in that riders were paced – allowed to slipstream – behind tandem or conventional cycles. From 1931, pacing was by motorcycles or small pedal-assisted Dernys . Pacing was also briefly by cars. In early events, pacing was provided from Bordeaux. In later events, it was introduced part-way towards Paris. From 1946 to 1985, more than half

166-618: A 4 + 1 ⁄ 2  bhp (4.6 PS) motorcycle to pace him to 37 miles 196 yards (59.725 km) in a private test at The Crystal Palace , south London, in July 1900 but riders in the USA and in Paris had already done better. Some races mixed pacing with solo bicycles, tandem and motorcycle, with the riders given different start points in compensation. Bordeaux–Paris , a race of nearly 600 km (370 mi) from south-west France to

249-556: A 130-tooth chainring and wooden rims. Fred Rompelberg , using a dragster with a large shield as pacer, achieved 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph) on the Bonneville Salt Flats on 15 October 1995. The British absolute speed record is held by Neil Campbell, pedaling at a speed of 183.75 km/h (114.18 mph) on 25 April 2016 behind a modified Volkswagen Passat . He broke the previous record of 181.76 km/h (112.94 mph) set by Guy Martin in 2013 behind

332-707: A 23-day period that includes 2 rest days. It was originally held in the spring, usually late April, with a few editions held in June in the 1940s. In 1995 , however, the race moved to September to avoid direct competition with the Giro d'Italia , held in May. As a result, the Vuelta is now often seen as an important preparation for the World Championships , which moved to October the same year. However, starting in 2023 this

415-473: A Dunlop quintuplet on 27 September 1897. The pacing tandems were ridden by professionals, of whom as many as 100 were under contract. Each competitor had six to eight pacing teams for races between 50 and 100 miles (80 and 160 km). Speeds rose when engines were added to pacing tandems. Arthur Chase and the Frenchman Émile Bouhours set English records behind powered tandems in 1898 and 1899. Chase used

498-420: A complete unknown until then, managed to win the Vuelta with only six seconds ahead of Alberto Fernández in second place. The end of the 80s was marked by the rise of Colombian cycling, which presented a strong challenge particularly in the mountain stages. Names such as Lucho Herrera (winner in 1987 ) or Fabio Parra (2nd in 1989 ) appeared in the last editions of the decade. One of the rulers at that time

581-540: A converted rail dragster with a fairing. Vuelta a Espa%C3%B1a The Vuelta a España ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbwelta a esˈpaɲa] ; English: "Tour of Spain" ) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia , the race was first organised in 1935 . The race

664-466: A crash in front of 10 000 spectators at Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His rear tire exploded at 100 km/h (62 mph) and he was thrown under another rider's pacing machine, which "crushed the prostrate man in a dreadful manner." George Leander of Chicago said, "Only the clumsy get themselves killed" before starting a race at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Leander was thrown five metres (16 ft) into

747-539: A dominant victory on the stage 19 individual time trial to Calp, Quintana was able to follow several attacks by Froome on Stage 20, the final mountain stage to Alto de Aitana, to secure overall victory by 1:23 over Froome. By doing so, Quintana became the second Colombian after Luis Herrera in 1987 to win the Vuelta. The 2017 edition started in Nîmes , France. It was the first time the race has started in France and only

830-506: A modified racing truck. Denise Mueller-Korenek claimed a women's bicycle land speed record at 147 mph (237 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats on 12 September 2016. Mueller was coached by former record holder John Howard. It is not clear which authority was supervising the record attempt. On 16 September 2018, again at Bonneville, she took the world record with a top speed of 183.93 mph (296 km/h) behind

913-477: A new women's paced hour record of 43.461 at Vélodrome Buffalo. The first hour record behind a motorcycle was set at 34 miles (55 km) by Harry Elkes of the USA in 1898. He rode behind a motor-powered tandem. The first record behind a pure motorcycle was 68 km (42 mi) by Tom Linton of Britain at the Parc des Princes track in northwest Paris in 1902. The speed increased but records become more hazy because some were made under restrictions imposed by

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996-437: A primarily Spanish participation to include riders from all over the world. The Vuelta is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams , with the exception of the wild card teams that the organizers can invite. Along with the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia , the Vuelta is one of cycling's prestigious Grand Tours . First held in 1935 and annually since 1955 ,

1079-453: A record of seven times. Ten times Van Springel took part in the legendary long-distance race and as many times he stood on the podium: a unique feat. Van Springel was known for his exceptional stamina, although initially he did not have much interest in the tough race. "At the time, there was a rather persistent rumour in the peloton that anyone who rode Bordeaux-Paris was exhausted and therefore absolutely unable to play any significant role in

1162-452: A roller on a frame at the rear to create a uniform distance to the cyclist. Some riders objected when the UCI insisted on them in 1920. The pacer stands or sits upright to offer a maximum windbreak , and the handlebars are extended to facilitate the stance, in a standardized leather suit that allows for the same slipstream effect for any rider. Speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) can be reached;

1245-502: A specially prepared stimulant", and set off an hour ahead of the other British riders. "By now," said Head, "the Frenchmen were hopelessly out of the running." He wrote: Although the judges, the officials, and the large crowd had been waiting impatiently for three hours before the winner's weary, mud-caked figure was seen coming along the boulevard de la Porte Maillot, his reception was "wildly enthusiastic", as one writer put it , and he

1328-515: A struggle with the then leader of the UCI Pro Tour , Alejandro Valverde . In the 2007 edition Denis Menchov again clinched the overall victory by more than three minutes over the Spanish cyclists Carlos Sastre and Samuel Sánchez . In June 2008, French company Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), who organize the Tour de France , announced it had bought 49% of Unipublic. In 2008, the winner

1411-681: A women's edition of the race, was first held in 2023 , part of the UCI Women's World Tour . This follows smaller races staged in conjunction with the Vuelta between 2015 and 2022 . The first races in Spain were run at the national level and were promoted by the bicycle manufacturers from Eibar . Consequently, the tour was Eibar – Madrid – Eibar, and called the Grand Prix of the Republic. In early 1935, former cyclist Clemente López Doriga, in collaboration with Juan Pujol, director of

1494-410: A year had been won by three different riders from the same country, after Froome won the 2018 Giro d'Italia and Geraint Thomas won the 2018 Tour de France . The 2019 Vuelta was won by Primož Roglič , who became the first Slovenian cyclist to win a Grand Tour. The 2020 Vuelta a España was originally scheduled to be held from 14 August to 6 September 2020. In April 2020, the 2020 Tour de France

1577-631: Is no longer the case as every fourth year the Worlds will now be held in August. A Vuelta was also organized in August and September 1950. The race now usually starts in late August, but the 2020 race started in October due to a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . All of the stages are timed to the finish; after finishing, the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with

1660-400: The 2010 edition without winning a stage, thanks to consistent high placings on summit stage finishes and the race's two time trials. He had inherited the race lead after Igor Antón was forced to abandon after crashing on stage 14. Though Nibali lost the race lead to Joaquim Rodríguez , he later regained it on the final time trial. This marked his first grand tour victory. The 2011 Vuelta

1743-479: The 2016 edition ahead of Froome, with the Colombian Esteban Chaves finishing third. Quintana had gained over 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes over Froome on Stage 15 when he and Contador attacked together from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into the stage and blew the race apart, isolating Froome from his Team Sky teammates. Whilst Froome fought back and managed to gain back nearly all he had lost in

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1826-566: The 2021 Vuelta a España and this time dominated the field to take his third consecutive victory in the race. He became only the third rider to win the race in three successive years. He won by 4' 42", the largest margin of victory since Alex Zülle won by 5' 07" in 1997 . The 2022 Vuelta a España was won by the UCI World Road Race champion, Belgian Remco Evenepoel after starting in Utrecht , Netherlands . The 2023 Vuelta

1909-509: The Alto de L'Angliru was part of a stage for the first time in 1999, with the victory of José María Jiménez , four-time winner of the mountains classification. The reputation of the climb grew rapidly because of its demanding nature. The first editions of the 2000s were marked by the dominance of Roberto Heras , who achieved victory on three occasions, and in 2005 did it for the fourth time. However, as happened with Ángel Arroyo in 1982, Heras

1992-424: The 1960s, they would also be joined by German and Dutch riders. In 1963 , Jacques Anquetil won the general classification, establishing himself as the first rider to win all three Grand Tours. Five years later, in 1968 , Felice Gimondi would do the same. Eddy Merckx ( 1973 ), Bernard Hinault ( 1978 , 1983 ), Alberto Contador ( 2008 ), Vincenzo Nibali ( 2010 ) and Chris Froome ( 2017 ) later accomplished

2075-623: The 1970s. Derny also built a street adaptation called the Solo as well as tandems and mopeds. The name derny is now applied to all such vehicles, regardless of manufacturer. It is used by the Larousse dictionary as a generic term for a small pacing motorcycle used in cycle races. The machine has to be bump-started. It can then pace riders up to 90 km/h (56 mph), although races rarely exceed 80 km/h (50 mph). Riders behind Derny-pacers ride conventional track bicycles. Bordeaux–Paris

2158-620: The NCU allow Mills and other British amateurs to take part. When Mills won, the Bicycle Union realised he was the works manager at a bicycle factory and decided he should be asked "whether he paid the whole of his expenses in the above-mentioned race." Only when he could prove that he had did the Bicycle Union concede that he was not a professional. Source: In a timespan of 11 years, Belgian Herman Van Springel would win Bordeaux–Paris for

2241-639: The Place du Pont Bastide in Bordeaux. There were 38 riders. As well as the British – Pilkington Mills, Holbein, Edge and Bates – there were a Pole and a Swiss. Mills fell on bad roads after 10 km when he touched with the Frenchman, Jiel-Laval, but neither was hurt. The English group moved to the front when the field began to straggle after the first hour. They led by a mile at dawn after averaging 14 mph. The historian Victor M. Head wrote: "At 10.30 Angoulème

2324-546: The Tour de France. Some even claimed that such a one-off marathon race could mortgage the rest of your career." Van Springel later said. In 1981, his last year as a professional cyclist, he won his seventh Bordeaux–Paris aged 37. Bordeaux–Paris began to lose prestige in the 1980s. It required special training and clashed with riders' plans to compete in the Vuelta a España or Giro d'Italia stage races. Fields began to dwindle and

2407-562: The Union Cycliste Internationale and others with no rules at all. On 12 October 1950, Karl-Heinz Kramer set the world record for absolute speed behind a motorcycle with 154.506 km/h (96.006 mph) on the Grenzlandring . Frenchman José Meiffret , set a record 204.73 km/h (127.21 mph) behind a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL on an Autobahn at Freiburg , Germany, on 16 July 1962. His bicycle had

2490-505: The Vuelta is run routinely in August and September, but it was previously run in April and May. Another difference was the number of participants. Previously, there were very few, but the number doubled, with more internationally recognized competitors. The prestige of the Vuelta increased, with more stars from the international cycling scene. During the late 1950s came the first successes in the overall standings of Italian and French riders. In

2573-529: The Vuelta runs for three weeks in a changing route across Spain. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, with the appearance of at least two time trials, the passage through the mountain chain of the Pyrenees or the Cantabrian Mountains , and the finish in the Spanish capital Madrid . The modern editions of the Vuelta a España consist of 21 day-long stages over

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2656-480: The Vuelta's timeslot. That year Laurent Jalabert won all classifications, the second time this happened in the Vuelta (Rominger had done so in 1993). The Frenchman was also a four-time winner of the points classification, matching the previous record set by Sean Kelly in the '80s. In 1997 , the tour started for the first time in a foreign country. They began in Lisbon , on the occasion of Expo '98 . The ascent of

2739-492: The air after 80 km (50 mi), fell to the track, bounced into the seating and died 36 hours later. A crash in Berlin on 18 July 1909 killed nine when a motorcycle careened into the stands and exploded. The historian Peter Nye wrote: The biggest machines were built by the pacers, using parts from other motorcycles, with engines as large as 2,400 cc (150 cu in). The largest had two riders, one crouched over

2822-485: The average is 60–70 km/h (37–43 mph). The bicycles are steel, sturdy and have a smaller front wheel to let the stayer bend forward into the slipstream. A Derny is a light motorbike typically driven by a 98 cc (6.0 cu in) Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedaled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the back wheel. The combination allows for smooth acceleration and slowing, important when

2905-423: The back wheel to avoid crashes caused by the rider touching the back of the motorcycle, but there were few other regulations. Race distances extended to six days, although one-hour and 100-mile (160 km) contests were more common. Windshields were briefly allowed but abandoned after the world championship in 1904. Speeds rose and accidents became commonplace. An American, Harry Elkes, died of his injuries from

2988-458: The capital, was paced part of the way by cars in 1897, 1898 and 1899. So was Paris–Roubaix . The historian Pierre Chany said: "Cars made only a brief appearance in Paris–Roubaix. On the roads of the north, these noisy cars, high with wooden wheels with their tires nailed in place, raised huge clouds of dust. The drivers, wearing leathers, their eyes protected by huge goggles, were stepping into

3071-497: The daily newspaper Informaciones , organized the Vuelta a España, The inaugural event saw 50 entrants face a 3,411 km (2,119 mi.) course over only 14 stages, averaging over 240 km (149 mi.) per stage. It was inspired by the success of the Tours in France and Italy, and the boost they brought to the circulations of their sponsoring newspapers ( L'Auto and La Gazzetta dello Sport respectively); Pujol of instigated

3154-509: The distance was paced, Dernys being introduced at Poitiers or Châtellerault , roughly half-way. The organisers of the inaugural event, Bordeaux Vélo Club and Véloce Sport envisaged that riders might take a few days, but the first edition was won in a continuous ride by George Pilkington Mills . Mills raced through the night to win the 600 km long event in just over a day. Post-war winners include Louison Bobet (1959), Tom Simpson (1963), and Jacques Anquetil (1965). The record for

3237-474: The first time since 1985 , the race was not 21 stages long; instead, it was held in a reduced format over 18 stages. Roglic defended his title in a hard-fought race with Richard Carapaz which was among the closest Vueltas in history with the winning margin being only +0:24. The 2020 Vuelta had the smallest margin of victory since the 1984 Vuelta a España , which was the smallest margin of victory of any grand tour in cycling history. In 2021, Roglič returned in

3320-579: The first time trial was held in the Vuelta. Julián Berrendero was proclaimed the winner, and he recaptured the title the next year. In addition, Berrendero was King of the Mountains for three consecutive years. With World War II and the precarious economic situation, there was another break in the running of the Vuelta a España. In 1945, the Journal took over organization of the race and competition resumed, although again with few foreign competitors in

3403-537: The handlebars to steer and the other sitting upright above the back wheel to protect the rider and to operate the engine. The pacers wore leathers, goggles and helmets but many riders wore a flat cap. The world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale , set regulations for pacing motorcycles in 1920. Until then standards had been set by the police, particularly in Germany, or by

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3486-515: The historian H. M. Ellis. The races became faster as the pacers became faster. Paced races kept audiences enthralled for many decades in Europe and, at one time, in North America. Tens of thousands watched, especially in Germany. The popularity of this form of pacing declined in the latter part of the 20th century. There were few rules. Pacing machines had small rollers set sideways behind

3569-414: The international squad as one of the greats of cycling. José Manuel Fuente , with victories in 1972 and 1974 , became the third rider to win two Tours of Spain. A few years later, Bernard Hinault repeated the feat, which was also achieved by Pedro Delgado during the 1980s. In 1973 , Eddy Merckx won the Vuelta by a landslide, winning six stages and all individual classifications with the exception of

3652-489: The last motor-paced version was 1985; three non-paced versions were held from 1986 but 1988 proved the last as a professional race. Motor-paced racing Motor-paced racing and motor-paced cycling refer to cycling behind a pacer in a car or more usually on a motorcycle. The cyclist (or stayer in this case) follows as close as they can to benefit from the slipstream of their pacer. The first paced races were behind other cyclists, sometimes as many as five riders on

3735-578: The lead from the first day to the last. The 1936 edition remains the longest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407 km. Gustaaf finished first and his older brother Alfons finished second overall. After the first two editions, the Spanish race suffered a hiatus because of the Spanish Civil War . In 1941 , the Vuelta resumed competition with an almost entirely Spanish peloton and very little foreign representation. That year

3818-436: The longer passing lane from the inner. Typically four to six couples compete in a race, covering up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) or racing over a set time. The keirin , a Japanese sprint with a paced start which has spread across the world, is a variation of motor-paced racing. A group of cyclists use a single pacer to get to speed and then sprint to the finish on their own. The first registered distance record behind pacers

3901-482: The lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to don the red jersey . While the general classification garners the most attention, there are other contests held within the Vuelta: the points classification for the sprinters, the mountains classification for the climbers, the combination classification for the all-round riders, and the team classification for the competing teams. La Vuelta Femenina ,

3984-440: The most victories is held by Herman Van Springel , who won seven times between 1970 and 1981. George Mills won the inaugural Bordeaux–Paris race in 1891. He was invited by the organisers, the newspaper Véloce Sport because of his reputation in an age when long-distance racing was the fashion. A race from Bordeaux in the south-west to the capital in Paris would be the longest annual event in France. The race started at 5am in

4067-413: The mountain classification five times, and Sean Kelly, who won four times in the points classification. In 1982 came the first case of disqualification of the winner for doping. Two days after the end of the competition, Ángel Arroyo and a few other riders were disqualified, and Arroyo lost his victory to Marino Lejarreta . Arroyo appealed for a B test of his sample, which again tested positive. Arroyo

4150-640: The mountains competition: he finished second. Freddy Maertens in 1977 echoed a similar domination to that demonstrated by Merckx a few years earlier, by winning thirteen stages and all individual classifications except the mountain. In the mid-1970s, Andrés Oliva managed to earn the King of the Mountains title in three editions of the Vuelta. Frenchman Bernard Hinault emerged in 1978 as an international cycling star. The same year, Hinault won his first Tour de France. The last stage of that edition also had to be suspended because of riots and barricades that prevented

4233-449: The normal course of it. When 1979 El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco left as a sponsor of the race, the Vuelta was once again endangered. However, the company Unipublic took charge of the competition. This, coupled with increased advertising and the beginning of the broadcasts via television, further grew revenue and interest in the Vuelta. In the early 1980s, two names stood out in the secondary classifications: José Luis Laguía, who won

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4316-416: The organizer of the Vuelta, El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco , went through some financial problems that endangered the running of the competition. However, during that time all editions ended normally. In 1968 , the Vuelta was hit by a terrorist attack and other events, having to cancel the 15th stage. There were no fatalities. The '70s began with the triumph of Luis Ocaña , who was already established in

4399-452: The peloton. On this occasion, Delio Rodríguez took the final victory. That year also introduced the points classification, but this was not stable until 1955. Four editions were run until 1950. Subsequently, there was no Vuelta until 1955, when it was organized by the Basque newspaper El Correo Español-El Pueblo Vasco . Since then, the Vuelta a España has been run annually. At this time,

4482-415: The podium, finishing 40 seconds behind Froome and 1 minute and 50 seconds behind Contador. The 2015 edition saw another strong field contest the race, including the top four finishers at the 2015 Tour de France (Froome, Valverde, Nibali and Nairo Quintana ) and two of the podium finishers from the 2015 Giro d'Italia in the form of Nibali's teammates Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa . The early leaders of

4565-500: The race consecutively between 1992 and 1994. The fiftieth edition of the Vuelta, which was held in 1995 , coincided with the change of dates. The Vuelta a España came to be held in September, and near the end of the season as the last of the three Grand Tours of the year. This was done to attract more high-profile riders, who before had preferred to ride the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France , which both took place very closely to

4648-446: The race entered the mountains of northern Spain, but lost it to Rodríguez on Stage 16. Dumoulin took the lead back on Stage 17 – the race's only individual time trial  – with Aru three seconds behind in second place. Aru attacked throughout the final stages and, on the penultimate day, finally dropped Dumoulin, who fell to sixth place overall. Aru therefore took the first Grand Tour victory of his career. Nairo Quintana won

4731-448: The race for 13 days between the fourth and sixteenth stages. Rodríguez also achieved three stage victories. The 2013 Vuelta a España saw another shock result when the 41-year-old American Chris Horner defeated Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodríguez to become the first North American to win the Vuelta and the oldest rider to win a grand tour. In addition Horner clinched the race's combination classification . The race

4814-486: The race to increase Informaciones' s circulation. The first stage took the riders from Madrid to Valladolid . That year saw the first great duel in the history of the Vuelta, between Belgium's Gustaaf Deloor , who ultimately won, and Mariano Cañardo , Spanish runner-up. The second edition of the Vuelta, finally held despite the delicate political situation, was also marked by the Deeloor repeat, who this time held

4897-511: The race were Esteban Chaves and Tom Dumoulin , who exchanged the leader's red jersey several times during the first ten days of racing, with both riders winning summit finishes in the first week. With the withdrawals of Chris Froome and the disqualification of Vincenzo Nibali, Nibali's team mate Fabio Aru took over the race lead following the mountainous Stage 11, which took place entirely within Andorra. He kept his lead for five stages as

4980-505: The red jersey on the 10th stage individual time trial and taking two key mountain stage wins on his way to victory. He won the race by 1' 10" over runner-up, Chris Froome. Like Contador, Froome also went into the race uncertain of his form after he crashed three times in two days during the Tour, leading to his withdrawal. However, Froome came to life during the third week, finishing second in three key mountain stages and taking time to move into second place overall. Alejandro Valverde completed

5063-472: The rider taking pace is centimetres from the pacer's shielded back wheel. A coupling between the motor and the back wheel ensures the machine will not stop dead if the motor seizes. The first Entraineur or Bordeaux–Paris models, with a petrol tank across the handlebars, were built by Roger Derny et Fils of the avenue de St Mandé, Paris, France in 1938. That closed in 1957, though another company, Derny Service of rue de Picpus serviced and rebuilt machines into

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5146-644: The same tandem. Bordeaux-Paris and record attempts have been ridden behind cars. More usually races or training are behind motorcycles. Cyclists started to use tandem bicycles as pacers in the late 19th century. There could be as many as five riders on the pacing machine. Because of the long distances covered when following a pacer, these cyclists were called stayers, a term used in long-distance horse racing. Companies such as Dunlop sponsored pacing teams, and "tens of thousands" turned out to watch. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind

5229-400: The same treble. Antonio Karmany dominated the mountain classification for three consecutive years, then was replaced by Julio Jiménez, who won it for another three years. In 1965 , Rik Van Looy became the first rider to repeat victory in the points classification. Jan Janssen in 1968 and 1974 Domingo Perurena would do the same, winning this classification twice. During mid 60's

5312-408: The slipstream effect and will quickly fall further back. The pacer then has to slow down so he can catch up and then accelerate without again losing his rider. Races are in velodromes or on other oval and steeply banked tracks to allow high-speed racing. After a flying start the cyclists link up with their pacers. Riding counterclockwise, passing can only be done on the right, a blue line separating

5395-408: The strongest in a grand tour in recent memory, as a range of accomplished riders entered the race after suffering injuries or health problems earlier in the season. Contador claimed his third Vuelta, Contador went into the race uncertain of his form after crashing out of the Tour de France on the 10th stage, breaking his tibia. However, Contador found his form in the race earlier than expected, taking

5478-469: The third time it has started outside Spain, after 1997 (Portugal) and 2009 (Netherlands). The general classification was won by 2017 Tour de France champion Chris Froome from Team Sky , ahead of Vincenzo Nibali of Bahrain–Merida . Froome became the third rider to win the Tour-Vuelta double after Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978), and the first to do so since the Vuelta

5561-478: The track promoters. World championships were held annually, except during wars, for 100 years, often separately for amateurs and professionals. Carsten Podlesch , who won in 1994, is the last and reigning world champion. National championships continue in several European countries and European championships are conducted annually. Motorcycles now used include the 750 cc (46 cu in) Triumph Tiger or BMW machines. The motorcycle for motor-pacing has

5644-417: The unknown! The riders hidden in all this chaos could see absolutely nothing and risked their life at 50 km/h (31 mph) on the edge of a razor. The noise was infernal and the column advanced in the stink of exhaust pipes." The first races were limited more by the speed a motorcycle could achieve than the ability of the rider to follow, with 50 km/h (31 mph) being a good average, according to

5727-475: Was also Pedro Delgado , with two victories ( 1985 and 1989 ), a second place, and two third-place finishes. In the 1988 edition , the start took place in the Canary Islands with 3 stages. The race was won by Irishman Sean Kelly , his only overall victory in a Grand Tour. The first half of the 1990s was marked by the dominance of Swiss rider Tony Rominger , the first rider to win three times and win

5810-405: Was also notable for Tony Martin 's all-day solo break on stage 6, when he broke away at the start and led for nearly the entire stage before being caught 20 metres from the finish line, placing seventh behind stage winner Michael Mørkøv . In March 2014, ASO acquired full control of Unipublic, with both working together with the running of the race. The 2014 race featured a field described as

5893-512: Was by Frederick Lindley Dodds of Britain, who on a solid-tired bicycle rode close to 16 miles (26 km) in the grounds of Cambridge University in 1876 during a 20-mile scratch race. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set an unbeaten British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind pacers on 27 September 1897. From 1893 to 1895, Hélène Dutrieu set several women's paced hour records, ending with 39.190 km at Vélodrome Roubaisien. In 1896, Amélie Le Gall set

5976-534: Was disqualified days after the end of the competition after testing positive in a doping test, this time for use of EPO . This positive development was later ratified by the counter-analysis and Heras was stripped of his title, benefiting the Russian cyclist Denis Menchov until 2012, when the Spanish Courts overturned the positive test and re-awarded the win to Heras. In 2006 Alexander Vinokourov won after

6059-638: Was escorted in triumph to his hotel. The time of 26h 36m 25s was truly remarkable when one considers the appalling road conditions, poor weather, and the delays, and all the other hardships encountered . The British victory was complete as Montague Holbein (27h 52m 15s) came in second, with Edge, nearly three hours away, third, and Bates fourth. The Bicycle Union – later renamed the National Cyclists Union – had strict views about amateurism and had demanded its French equivalent ensure that all taking part met its own amateur ideals. Only then would

6142-473: Was given a ten-minute penalty, and ultimately ended up placing thirteenth in the general classification. Next year's edition was the first appearance of the Lagos de Covadonga as a final stage, an ascent that would become, over the years, the most iconic climb of the Vuelta a España. In 1984 it played the issue in a race that ended with the smallest difference between the first and second place. Éric Caritoux ,

6225-540: Was moved to its current calendar position. Froome also won the points and combination classifications, becoming the first rider to win three jerseys in a single Vuelta since Denis Menchov in 2007. In 2018 , it was another British rider who won the race, in Simon Yates , riding for the Mitchelton–Scott . Aged 26 this was Yates' first grand tour win, and meant that for the first time all three grand tours in

6308-408: Was paced by Dernys for part of its route from 1946 to 1985. Cooperation between pacer and stayer includes the use of terms and signals understood internationally, because pacers and stayers may be of different nationalities. The stayer needs to be close to the roller to gain maximum profit from the slipstream; if he gets too close he may hit the roller and fall, if he falls too far behind it, he loses

6391-573: Was prevented from being run by the Spanish Civil War and World War II in the early years of its existence; however, the race has been held annually since 1955 . As the Vuelta gained prestige and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend all around the globe. Since 1979, the event has been staged and managed by Unipublic , until in 2014, when the Amaury Sport Organisation acquired control. Since then, they have been working together. The peloton expanded from

6474-487: Was reached and the Englishmen stopped to gulp down bowls of hot soup. When they restarted, Mills began to make all the running, drawing steadily away from his companions until, arriving at Ruffec, Charente , he was half an hour in the lead." The rapid departure surprised the organisers. A report said: Mills reached Tours after 215 miles and more than 12 hours on the road. He rested for five minutes, ate raw meat "and

6557-425: Was rescheduled to run between the 29 August and 20 September, having been postponed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic . On 15 April, UCI announced that both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta would take place in autumn after the 2020 UCI Road World Championships . On 5 May, UCI announced that the postponed Giro and the Vuelta would run between 3 and 25 October and between 20 October and 8 November, respectively. For

6640-640: Was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country . The 33-year absence from the region was due to fear of political protests . The victory was originally awarded to Juan José Cobo who had a race-winning margin of just 13 seconds over Briton Chris Froome . Neither rider had been marked as a pre-race favourite, and both had gone to the Vuelta as domestiques for their team leaders: Cobo for Denis Menchov , and Froome for Bradley Wiggins ; their team leaders originally finished 5th and 3rd respectively. The race

6723-802: Was the Spaniard Alberto Contador, who also won that year's Giro d'Italia , and became the first Spaniard to win all three Grand Tours. In 2009, the Vuelta began in Drenthe, Netherlands, continuing through Belgium and Germany. The final winner was Alejandro Valverde, who adopted a conservative stance without winning any stage and sprinting in the final meters to achieve bonuses. His main rivals were Samuel Sánchez (second place), Cadel Evans (third), Ivan Basso , Robert Gesink and Ezequiel Mosquera . All of them suffered critical falls or punctures such as Evans in Monachil. Vincenzo Nibali won

6806-401: Was the first time that two Britons had stood on the podium of a Grand Tour, and Froome's second-place finish equalled the highest placing by a British rider in a Grand tour, Pippa York finishing second in the race in 1985 and 1986, until Wiggins won the Tour de France the following year. In 2019 Cobo's win was annulled for doping violations, and the race awarded to Froome. In 2012 , the race

6889-549: Was won for the second time by Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank , taking his first overall victory since returning from a doping suspension. Contador, who won the seventeenth stage of the race after a solo attack, won the general classification by 1' 16" over runner-up Alejandro Valverde of the Movistar Team team. Completing an all-Spanish podium, Joaquim Rodríguez finished the race third overall, 21 seconds behind Valverde and 1' 37" behind Contador, having led

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