Cycling: Spain is undoubtedly a cycling nation. Big names like Indurain, Bahamontes, Sastre and Freire have had good results over the decades. But their careers are long over. Now Alberto Contador is gone too. Successors are not in sight. Does Spanish cycling have a serious problem?
The top stars quit
It is perfectly normal for nations to experience certain ups and downs in different sports. But there are countries that bring out top stars almost constantly. In cycling, these definitely include Belgium, Italy, France – and of course Spain. There were hardly any years in which the Spaniards did not have a say in the really big victories. But that time could come now. At least that is strongly suggested. Because last year Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha-Alpecin) hung up his bike. Last week Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) competed in his last professional race. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is undoubtedly still one of the best in the world, but Balaverde will be 38 next year.
The UCI ranking speaks volumes
Measured by the sporting successes in the WorldTour, the UCI compiles a ranking every season. It also compares nations with each other. In 2015 Spain was in first place. Last year it was only enough for fifth place. So far this season, the Spaniards are in fourth place. That doesn't sound all that worrying. But who got the necessary points? Valverde is fourth (2.823 points) and Contador is tenth (2.242 points). Overall, both are responsible for 5.065 of the 11.145 points. Only Mikel Landa (Sky) and Jon Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) have managed to score over 2017 points so far in 1.000. With their 28 years, these two are at least in the prime of cycling age. But who follows after that?
Hardly any young Spaniards move up
The fifth best Spaniard is only 71st in the UCI WorldTour ranking. Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) is only known to true connoisseurs. His strengths lie in the fight against the clock, but he is not a real winner in important races. Jesus Herrada (Movistar), Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Carlos Barbero (Movistar) and David de la Cruz (Quick-Step Floors) complete the 100 Spanish Cycling Top 2017 roster they are miles away from a quality of Contador or Valverde. In addition to a few top drivers, the Spaniards also suffer from a small number of young drivers. Nothing seems to follow. Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors), Ivan Garcia (Bahrain-Merida), Cristian Rodriguez (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia), Manuel Diaz (Israel Cycling Academy), Alex Aranburu (Caja Rural) and Daniel Lopez (Burgos BH) are the only Spaniards in the top 1.000 who will not be 25 or older next season. It's no coincidence that the local heroes rarely win stages at the Vuelta a Espana. This year, Contador had to pull the coals out of the fire on the penultimate section and claim the only win of the day – an unthinkable scenario in the past!
Mikel Landa will be the only Spanish winner
Due to the negative prospects for the future, one naturally wonders why Spanish cycling is suddenly suffering from such problems. We cannot give an exact answer to this question either. However, it does not seem impossible that the Fuentes doping case is partly to blame. While football and tennis are at their peak in Spain, cycling is suffering from negative publicity. The Fuentes scandal was eleven years ago and fits perfectly into the current time frame. It is quite possible that after Valverde we will only see one top rider from Spain: Mikel Landa. He is moving to the Movistar team for the new season. The footsteps of Valverde and Quintana are huge there, but Landa is capable of almost anything. Of course, in 3-4 years, new Valverdes and Contadors can suddenly get on their bikes, but they are not in sight at the moment. Above all, sprinters and classic car hunters are not to be seen far and wide. We can be curious about the development of Spanish cycling in the coming years.
