When the great British cyclist Chris Froome takes his place alongside the 175 other riders at the start of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) the first stage of his career, in some ways he could not there could be no more suitable race for him to pull the curtain on a landmark chapter of his career
Long ago in the 2011 Vuelta a España, Froome was on the verge of being abandoned by Team Sky when he had the chance to replace ill teammate Lars Petter Nordhaug at the last minute. He spawned a way through the three-week event for a superb – and very surprising – second overall, as well as a new and much improved contract
That result was later elevated to outright victory when Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo was disqualified for doping, and Froome’s wholly unexpected success ushered in nearly a decade of British Grand Tour triumphs, including four victories in the Tour de France and another in the Vuelta, in 2017, all with British Team Sky
So for the Vuelta to be Froome’s last race with Ineos-Grenadiers, as it’s now known as Sky, before moving on to the Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN) team in 2021, we have the impression that the 35-year-old is completing a sports circle in the best possible way However, his presence in the 2020 Vuelta hides a less sentimental truth
La Vuelta a España will be broadcast live on Eurosport (channels: BT 412, Sky 410, Virgin 521) and Eurosport 2 If you are not a subscriber you can buy a one-month Eurosport Player pass for £ 6 99 to stream the Vuelta to any device connected to the internet (annual subscription costs £ 39.99)
After a horrific accident a year ago last summer, Froome has since missed two Tours de France as he recovered from his injuries With Ineos’ bid for overall glory now centered on rising star Egan Bernal and other young pilots, the Briton chose to switch to ISN
Speaking yesterday in the coastal town northeast of Irun, where the Vuelta begins this year, Froome was cautious about his options
« I haven’t run much lately, » said the Briton, whose initial mission is to support the candidacy of his Ecuadorian teammate Richard Carapaz « I’m feeling better and better on the bike so I can get a lot of confidence from it »
As Froome has pointed out, the difficulty of the Vuelta 2020’s course is such that its underlying racing form will be put to the test from the start
From Tuesday 20 October to Sunday 8 November, La Vuelta a España 2020 includes 18 stages and covers a total distance of 2882km
This opening week, the most difficult of all the post-WWII Grand Tour, starts with a very hilly race today until the arrival at the Basque summit of Arrate and ends by a summit finish on the Tourmalet on Sunday, widely rated the most difficult climb in the Pyrenees And there could well be other challenges
Fears over how the pandemic could affect the Vuelta – already moved from its usual location from August to late October due to the spring lockdown – do anything but abate in a country desperately battling a second wave skyrocketing infections
Pre-race mass tests for Covid-19 have already seen two team members in the Vuelta test positive Although all riders have so far returned negatives – a final round of results will occur this morning – as Alejandro Valverde, the 40-year-old Vuelta’s most senior participant, said, « we will go through each stage as if it were the last »
Vuelta a España, Chris Froome, Team INEOS, Tour de France, Grand Tour, Primož Roglič, Spain
News from the world – GB – i’s guide to Vuelta a España 2020 – itinerary , scene guide and how to watch
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
