Cycling: The Tour of Spain begins on Saturday. Time for us to look at the Vuelta a Espana favourites. We recognize that many teams compete with a dual leadership.
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo – Visma)
The undisputed top favorite for overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana is Cousin Roglic. The Slovenian had to give up the Tour de France early due to a fall. After that he immediately started preparing for the Tour of Spain. After all, he won this in the past two years. This is how it should be in 2021. And the chances are good, because of course Primoz Roglic can rely on a top team. With Steven Kruijswijk and Sepp Kuss there are two drivers in his team who could drive for the overall ranking themselves. Sam Oomen, Koen Bouwman and Robert Gesink can also be used in the high mountains. The overall victory leads only to Primoz Roglic and the team Jumbo - Visma, which together must be called Vuelta a Espana favorites.
Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)
As a winner of the Giro d'Italia must Egan Bernal of course automatically count among the Vuelta a Espana favourites. The Colombian seems to be almost back to normal after a small low last year. His problem, however, is his weakness in time trials. As an easy climber, he doesn't do so badly in this discipline, but there are still a few deficits compared to Primoz Roglic. Accordingly, Egan Bernal has to gain time in the high mountains. And that's exactly why a strong team was put at his side. While he forms a dual leadership with Richard Carapaz, Adam Yates, Thomas Pidcock, Pavel Sivakov and Dylan van Baarle act as noble helpers. If everything goes according to plan, the British team can make all the difference. Egan Bernal is therefore rightly rated second among the Vuelta a Espana favourites.
Richard CarapazIneos Grenadiers
Ob Richard Carapaz will actually be able to compete for overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana is anyone's guess. Not even he himself will currently know whether his power will be enough for another three weeks. After all, the Ecuadorian drove to Olympic gold after finishing third in the Tour de France in Tokyo. So he couldn't prepare himself physically and mentally for the Tour of Spain for a long time. However, if it turns out that Egan Bernal cannot fight for overall victory in Spain, Richard Carapaz will automatically slip into the role of captain. But he too will lose valuable time to top favorite Primoz Roglic in the time trial. Either way, he and his teammate have to set off fireworks in the high mountains – and that's exactly what we can expect. Last year he lost as second overall in the Vuelta a Espana but the duel against the Slovenes.
Hugh Carthy (EF-Nippo)
Just like Egan Bernal did too Hugh Carthy the Giro d'Italia in the legs. In the end, the Brit only finished eighth, disappointing many of his fans and experts. At the Vuelta a Espana 2021 things should now go better than the year before. At that time he was third overall behind Primoz Roglic and Richard Carapaz. The team management hopes for a similar result this time too. However, his team is then much weaker than that of the top favorites. His performance at the Vuelta a Burgos, where he won the final stage, gives hope. In order for it to be enough for a podium place, a lot has to come together.
Rigoberto Uran (EF – Nippo)
The presence of Rigoberto Urán ensures that the EF – Nippo team can also build on a double leadership. But the Colombian already has the Tour de France under his belt and has never managed to complete two good Grand Tours in one season. His best result in Spain was seventh overall in 2018. Whether he's going for the overall ranking this time or for stage wins will become clear within the first week. Either way, he's an important building block for the team and for - presumably the captain - Hugh Carthy. Rigoberto Uran's advantage, however, is that when he's at his best against the clock, he can keep up with the best. He proved this most recently at the Tour de Suisse with a confident stage win.
Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar)
Made with a disappointing performance Miguel Angel Lopez (not) attracted attention at the Tour de France. The Colombian couldn't keep up with the top riders on a single mountain stage and finally gave up before Paris. The hopes were so high after he did well at the Critérium du Dauphiné and before that even won the Ruta del Sol and the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. It's quite clear: the experts will now say that he's in shape too early. If that's the case, we could count on him again at the Vuelta a Espana. If not, he will probably only go for stage wins. And that would be disappointing again, because after all, Miguel Angel Lopez has already finished in the top 10 three times in a Tour of Spain.
Enric Mas (Movistar)
There too Enric Mas Nicolau for which the Vuelta a Espana was nominated, the Movistar team can also rely on a double leadership – and after all, they know their way around. However, like his team-mate, the Spaniard already has the Tour de France under his belt. There he finished sixth and was the best Movistar professional. He even finished second at the Vuelta a Espana in 2018, when his star rose here in Spain. But until today we are waiting for a confirmation of this achievement. Can this be expected in 2021? This is mainly due to its shape structure. If he managed to do this after the Tour of France, he is one of the favourites. If not, he could end up as a stage winner. Either way, an active tour can be expected from Enric Mas.
Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious)
Unlucky guy of the year is probably Mikel Landa. The Spaniard actually wanted to start at the Giro d'Italia. But before things really got going there, he was out again. After a fall, he had to take a long break and only returned to racing two and a half months later. But he quickly found his old strength, since shortly afterwards he even won the Vuelta a Burgos. Things never went well for him in the Tour of Spain, although the Spaniard is actually very attached to his home country. He has not competed here since 2016. Before that, he was 25 at best. But it should be remembered that he was mostly on the road as a helper. In the form he showed after his comeback, we have to count on him. His weaknesses: consistency and the time trial.
Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana – Premier Tech)
With the announcement of his move from Astana - Premier Tech to Bora - hansgrohe has Alexander Vlasov caused a bang. But this year the Russian is still one of the Vuelta a Espana favorites for his current team. Last year he was eleventh and could not yet meet the expectations placed in him. He did so a few months later at the Giro d'Italia, where he finished fourth overall, just missing out on the podium. It should be similar in Spain and Aleksandr Vlasov is definitely capable of that. With the Izagirre brothers and Omar Fraile, he can build on a strong team.
Giulio Ciccone (Trek – Segafredo)
Being one of the surprises of the year Julius Ciccone be designated. The Italian was in contention for the podium at the Giro d'Italia for a long time before unfortunately he was unable to compete in the 18th stage. He skipped the Tour de France to focus on the Vuelta a Espana to prepare. With the support of Kenny Elissonde, Gianluca Brambilla and Quinn Simmons, they are hoping for a strong team effort, with Giulio Ciccone expected to lead the way at the end. He's probably not far enough for overall victory, but the Italian can certainly take part in the fight for the podium in top form.
