It is true that some of the main stars of the peloton are not present The Vuelta 2024but there are the best teams with the best cyclists they have ever shown, creating an exciting scenario for the race that awaits what the road itself can bring later, as they say:
1
PRIMOZ ROGLIC
Slovenia, 34 years old, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
It is true that he did not arrive in the best conditions after the fall that he suffered in the Tour, but we must think that if Roglic is in the team that the Red Bull team presented it is because he is in a position to compete. on the great cycling tour of three weeks which was his best. He already has three wins at La Vuelta (2019, 2020, 2021) and has a chance this year to equal the four victories held by Roberto Heras as the cyclist who has achieved the most wins.
2
SEPP KUSS
United States, 29 years old, Team Visma-Lease a Bike
The other big international name in the La Vuelta peloton this year is Sepp Kuss. The American won the last edition and although this 2024 he does not have Vingegaard and Roglic by his side, he has the guarantee of men like Van Aert to aim for a repeat of the victory. After a year in which luck did not overtake him, the native of Durango goes to La Vuelta with the good business card of his victory in the previous Vuelta a Burgos where he was on a high.
3
JOAO ALMEIDA
Portugal, 26 years old, UAE Team Emirates
Almeida has a golden opportunity because of the awards the team has awarded him and because of the cyclists the Arab Emirates team is fielding. Accustomed to working for Pogacar, Almeida has a free hand to fight for a victory in the Vuelta, a race he has contested twice, with 5th place in 2022 as his best result, with 3rd in the 2023 Giro his best result in a great cycling tour. In addition, he has the incentive that this year the Spanish round will start in Portugal and the opportunity to contribute so that his team wins the big three, after sweeping Pogacar in the Giro and the Tour.
4
ADAM YATES
Great Britain, 32 years old, UAE Team Emirates
This is another great asset, a priori, of UAE Team Emirates. His options increased on a route like the Vuelta, where the mountains are present, the terrain where Adam always moves. He arrives at the Spanish round after finishing 6th in the Tour de France, in a race he would have entered fifth, but he has not run since 2021, when he finished 4th, which was his best final position in Spanish round for the date.
5
RICHARD CARAPAZ
Ecuador, 31 years old, EF Education-EasyPost
After the disappointment of not being able to defend his country’s shield at the Olympic Games and being one of the most famous cyclists in the Tour de France, Carapaz went to the Vuelta hungry for victory. This is the sixth time he has competed in La Vuelta, a race he has not visited since 2022 and where he has 2nd place in 2020 as his best result. The Ecuadorian cyclist is seeking his second victory in a grand tour after the 2019 Giro and the many mountains of the Spanish round play in his favour.
6
MIKEL LANDA
Spain, 34 years old, Soudal Quick-Step
Without his usual fatigue partner this season, the Belgian Remco Evenepoel, Mikel Landa went to the Vueta after leaving great sensations throughout the season and being 5th in the last Tour de France. Alavés could perform very well in an edition of the Spanish round with many mountains, although he was penalized by the time trial on the last day. This is the eighth time Mikel has contested La Vuelta, with 5th place in 2023 as his best result. Must fight to get on the podium
7
ENRICH MAS
Spain, 29 years old, Movistar Team
This season’s numbers do not encourage us to be more ambitious about the result that the Spaniard can get in La Vuelta, but there are arguments in his favor. First the self-criticism he made at the Tour, where he said “If at La Vuelta I don’t fight for the general classification, Eusebio Unzué will put a cross on me.” After some of the heavyweights of the peloton are not there and La Vuelta is his fetish race, with three second places (2018, 2021 and 2022), where he usually ‘saves’ the season.
8
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Spain, 23 years old, Ineos Grenadiers
After a Tour in which he did not perform as he expected, he finished 7th, the one from Almuñécar decided to participate in La Vuelta and chain two great cycling tours in a row. At 23 years old, this will be only his third major cycling tour at the stages after his two appearances at the Tour and his second appearance at the Spanish round, after being 7th in 2022. He arrives after having a very regular that season and surrounded by reliable teammates as Narváez, Óscar Rodríguez and Laurens De Plus
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
