La Vuelta has the power, Barcelona is powerful and cycling is experiencing a prodigious era. What was experienced in Barceloneta, with the beach in the background and the skyline of the W hotel on one side and the Arts hotel on the other, with the presentation of the teams, is just the appetizer of what will be seen in the streets at the end of week. From Bilbao, the Grand Départ of the Tour on July 1, the baton for the world capital of cycling passed to Glasgow, home of the World Cups, and now it ends up in Barcelona, ??the starting point of the best Tour of Spain in memory.
Three of the five cyclists who have made the bicycle shine in this 2023 appear in Barcelona as great attractions and favorites. They are Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel and only Pogacar and Van der Poel, brand new world champion, are missing. But perhaps with the participation of Juan Ayuso, Enric Mas, Geraint Thomas, Bernal, João Almeida, Vlasov, Buchman, Higuita, Bardet, Caruso, Mikel Landa, Dunbar or Carthy they will not be missed.
From the beach to the mountain of Montjuïc, with the team time trial on the first day, tomorrow, and online, with a demanding finish, on Sunday, the beauty of Barcelona’s monuments will be the ideal setting for a race of many carats. No one escapes the fact that a success with the public and repercussion can mean the definitive step for the city council and ASO, owner of the Tour de France, to dare to start the most important event.
“We must thank a city as large and world-renowned as Barcelona for paralyzing the center for almost two days for the Tour of Spain to start here,” said Enric Mas, the great asset of Movistar. “The two stages are very beautiful and can be spectacular. Let’s hope that the rain doesn’t condition and respect it”, wishes the Spaniard, three times second, eager for results after the fall in the first stage of the Tour.
“There is a spectacular participation that has not been seen in a long time,” seconded Juan Ayuso, 20, third in 2022, a young man who does not shy away. “Winning would be the best, something I have always dreamed of. Last year’s podium gives rise to dreams. With this year’s participation it’s difficult but that’s what we’re working for”, says the UAE cyclist, who will also be looking for his first stage win in a big one.
Those who perfectly know what it is to win stages, dominate the best races and climb to the top of the podiums are the two leaders of the Jumbo-Visma. Jonas Vingegaard was the last to climb the ramp onto the presentation stage. But the winner of the last two Tours does not come from tourism nor does he hide behind Primoz Roglic, winner of the Giro in June and who already has three Vueltas to his credit. “It would be spectacular if we did first and second. We have two leaders and obviously the objective is to win the red jersey”, proclaims Vingegaard. “The team would be delighted,” says Roglic. “Sepp Kuss could even win,” says the Slovenian about the great American climber they have as a gregarious, present in all the team’s successes.
“Vingegaard knows how to win the Tour twice, so he probably knows how to win the Vuelta as well,” Remco Evenepoel (Soudal), the new time trial world champion and who defends the red jersey he won in 2022, passes him.
“For the Vuelta it is a dream to leave Barcelona”, corroborates Javier Guillén, director of the Vuelta. “It’s going to be a really fun race,” he promises. And it is that the cyclists are aware that winning in Barcelona is different, it is a special triumph, a catapult. The last two winners here in a grand tour later became world champions. In the 2009 Tour, victory went to the Norwegian Hushvod, who donned the rainbow jersey the following year. In the 2012 Vuelta, the Belgian Gilbert prevailed on Montjuïc and less than a month later he won the Valkenburg World Championship. It is the power of Barcelona.
