Vuelta a España: Latinos Who Could Win It All

The last Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España, starts this August 19 and will last until September 11. In the midst of the hottest temperatures this country has had in its history (with temperatures easily exceeding 40 degrees centigrade), the cyclists will close this season by covering 3,280 km divided into 21 stages. This edition, the 77th, will have the great peculiarity of starting in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

This time, Egan Bernal will not compete, who this week reappeared in the Tour of Denmark. Bernal has been recovering for several months after the accident he suffered earlier this year. Although he can now compete, Bernal is not at an optimal level to run in a competition as important as a lap.

However, Bernal is not the only representative from Latin America who could claim glory in this competition. Today in LatinAmerican Post we want to talk about those Latinos who have the opportunity to win one of the most significant titles in the world of cycling.

Miguel Ángel López

The Colombian will be the leader of Astana on this occasion, together with the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, winner of the 2010 Vuelta. The 28-year-old “Superman” has already participated in six past editions of this competition, finishing third in the Vuelta of 2018.

A third place in the Vuelta de Burgos puts López in the picture, with the possibility of winning everything in this meeting. If he manages to win the lap, López's name could be placed alongside those of Egan Bernal and Nairo Quintana as legendary Colombian cyclists. The fact of having had to withdraw from the last edition of the Vuelta could also be removed from the back.

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Richard Carapaz

Carapaz, a man with 29 years old, is one of the main candidates for the title, after being number 2 in the world in 2020. The Ecuadorian has been emerging for years as one of the best cyclists in the world and will lead a balanced but strong team by Ineos Grenadiers.

A second Grand Tour for Carapaz would be an incredible achievement for his career, Carapaz still has to dethrone Primož Roglič, who will again be a major obstacle to victory.

However, on the side of the Ecuadorian team, optimism prevails. “Having four rookies in Carlos, Luke, Ethan, and Ben reinforces the belief we have in the quality of our young riders, and we know they will provide fantastic support for Richie,” said Deputy Team Principal Rod Ellingworth.

“As a major winner, and having finished second in 2020, we expect Richie to build on that experience and lead the team as the race heads to Madrid. It will certainly be a very exciting edition of the Vuelta”, he added.

In addition to these Latin cyclists, other favorites to win the lap include Simon Yates, the Australian Jai Hindley and the Portuguese João Almeida. Of course, we cannot fail to mention Primož Roglič, who is emerging as the absolute favorite in this competition and will defend his triple title obtaining the last three years.