The 14 cyclists of the Spanish army in the Tour de France

With nine cyclists last year, the lowest number of Spanish cyclists this century in the Tour, at 14 this year. 14 runners with different aspirations. Some go to Tour de France thinking about the general, others being loyal squires of their leaders, a third who will aspire to be the main character one day and a final group who will follow what their team managers tell them.

This is the 14 Spanish this 2023 in Tour de France:

MARC SOLER (29 years old, UAE Team Emirates)

The Catalan Marc Soler is back in the Tour de France. This year is his sixth presence in the gala round, since his debut in 2018. His mission, like the rest of his colleagues in the formation of the United Arab Emirates, is clear, to be at the service of their marked from the beginning. car and was where his leader, Tadej Pogacar, needed him. However, it should not be abandoned, due to the belligerent and non-conformist character of the rider from Vilanova i la Geltrú who tries to fight for victory on the stage. Heading into the Tour after competing for 23 days for a total of 3,548 kilometers in legs

2

MIKEL LANDA (33 years old, Bahrain-Victorius)

After not competing in the last two editions, the Alava rider returns to the Tour de France, a race in which he has five appearances, with two fourth positions, achieved in 2017 and 2020. Starting in Bilbao, Mikel will be able to load of fuel He lacked in the last races in which he participated this year, after a Dauphiné Critérium where he did not show the good level of previous appointments. If luck favors him, Mikel can fly high in this Tour. Heading into the Tour after competing for 40 days for a total of 6,523 kilometers in legs

3

PELLO BILBAO (33 years old, Bahrain-Victorius)

Pello Bilbao is looking for his regularity in his last appearances on the grand tours. This is his fourth Tour de France and he will be looking to improve on the 9th position overall achieved in 2021. A regular and all-terrain rider, Pello has extra motivation this year as he starts the race from Bilbao and has enough qualities to achieve a partial success and to match his ceiling in a great tour: the 5th place achieved in the Giro d’Italia in 2020 and 2022. He goes to the Tour after competing 30 day for a total of 4,466 kilometers in legs

4

ENRIC MAS (28 years old, Movistar)

After the painful abandonment of 2022, Enric Mas returns to the Tour de France with the confidence to reach the ceiling achieved so far: 5th place in 2020. The Spaniard goes to the gala round surrounded by a strong team and there is a route where the time trial It is not as heavy as other years, with a CRI of only 22.4 km in the 16th stage. He went to the Tour after competing in 28 days for a total of 4,550 kilometers in the legs, in what was quite a routine, without standing out too much, but being competitive and being where he needed to be at specific moments.

5

ÁLEX ARANBURU (27 years old, Movistar)

Second Tour de France for Álex Aranburu and his first in Movistar colors, after his first engagement in 2021 where he managed to be sixth in two stages and eighth in the closing Champs-Élysées. The Ezkio-Itsaso runner knows how to make good living in the last kilometers and can take advantage of his skills as a finisher, even if the list of rivals is very long. Bronze at the recent Spanish Road Championship, Aranburu is a complete runner that can bring joy to phone building. Heading into the Tour after competing for 35 days for a total of 5,777 kilometers in legs

6

CARLOS RODRIGUEZ (22 years old, Ineos)

Attention to the performance that the young Spanish cyclist from Almuñécar can do in the Tour de France. The Ineos team rider made his debut at the Tour de France and this year his second great three-week cycling tour after completing last year’s Tour and being 7th, reaching fourth overall. Rodríguez has a golden opportunity in a British formation that could bet on him depending on how the race progresses. He went to the Tour after competing in 20 days for a total of 3,139 kilometers in legs and finished as the best youth in the Dauphiné Critérium

7

JONATHAN CASTROVIEJO (36 years old, Ineos)

A team rider par excellence, the presence of Jonathan Castroviejo is a guarantee of work and commitment, especially after being proclaimed champion of Spain in no time. In the race against the clock he will struggle, but he can be an important part of his team’s collective success. This is his ninth appearance at the Tour de France, after an early season where he was very competitive and where he showed how much he contributed to the group. Heading into the Tour after competing for 38 days for a total of 5,701 kilometers in legs

8

OMAR FRAILE (32 years old, Ineos)

He achieved the last victory for Spanish cycling in the Tour de France. It is 2018 in the 14th stage of the gala round and I am sure he will leave his skin behind to make history again, especially at the start of the gala round. This will be his fifth consecutive appearance at the Tour de France, where he will seek personal glory and, in turn, the good of the collective. He went to the Tour after competing for 50 days for a total of 5,242 kilometers in legs, during which he achieved victory in the fifth stage of the Tour of Andalusia

9

JUANPE LOPEZ (25 years old, Lidl-Trek)

Debut for Juan Pedro López in the Tour de France after his impressive performance in last year’s Giro d’Italia, where he finished 10th and where he was in the lead for ten days. Pure explosiveness, the rider from Lebrija has not performed as expected this season after breaking his clavicle at the end of last January, which affected his debut and his racing program. The runner of the new Lidl-Trek will be looking for his first victory as a professional. Heading into the Tour after competing for 24 days for a total of 4,053 kilometers in legs

10

LUIS LEÓN SÁNCHEZ (39 years old, Astana)

Seniority and knowing how to be in power. Luis León Sánchez, 39 years old, is one of the oldest riders in the peloton, but despite his age he has lost none of the resistance that has always been his characteristic. This is his 12th appearance at the gala round and his resume includes four stage wins at the Tour de France and why he didn’t reach fifth this year. Going into the Tour after competing for 60 days for a total of 9,249 kilometers in legs

Eleven

ION IZAGIRRE (34 years old, Cofidis)

One of the riders who, yes or yes, will seek victory in the first days of the Tour de France in the Basque Country. Ion Izagirre is contesting his tenth Tour de France this year, fourth in a row, in search of another narrow victory in the gala round, which would be his second, and which would allow him to enter the elite club of riders capable of winning a stage in the big three: Giro, Tour and Vuelta. Heading into the Tour after competing for 32 days for a total of 4,826 kilometers in legs

12

DAVID DE LA CRUZ (34 years old, Astana)

The Sabadell cyclist returns to the Tour de France after an absence of two years. He had only two previous presences in the gala round and in the first one he left. David de la Cruz is looking for his second victory in a great cycling tour after the victory of La Vuelta in 2016, which has taken him from 2018 in Paris-Nice. He continues to show himself as a great team rider and I’m sure he will do everything to filter through a breakaway and find glory one day. Heading into the Tour after competing for 39 days for a total of 6,169 kilometers in legs

13

ANTONIO PEDRERO (31 years old, Movistar)

Debut for one from Terrassa at the Tour de France, after five appearances at the Giro d’Italia and two at La Vuelta. Pedrero is looking for his first victory in the World Tour and as a curiosity to point out that this will be his fourth victory on French soil if it comes from the third stage, since the three he cares about have been achieved on French soil. He will be one of the riders serving the goal of Enric Mas in the Movistar team, but surely one day he will have freedom of movement. . Heading into the Tour after competing for 35 days for a total of 5,163 kilometers in legs

14

GORKA IZAGIRRE (35 years old, Movistar)

The Ormaiztegi rider will be one of Movistar’s clear bets in the first days of the Tour de France in the Basque Country. He goes to the gala round after he left last year and this is his tenth presence in the ‘Grande Boucle’. A tough mountain runner with the ability to measure himself against the best both climbing and when it comes to reading leaks and knowing how to seek glory, Gorka is looking for what will be his tenth professional victory. Heading into the Tour after competing for 40 days for a total of 5,840 kilometers in legs