The Vuelta a España 2022 gets underway in Utrecht, Netherlands, on Friday 19 August, and will make a return to Madrid on Sunday 11 September, after 21 stages of racing.
Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) is the defending Vuelta champion, having won the race a remarkable three years in a row, from 2019 to 2021. Former winners Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech), Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) will also all be lining up for the race.
There are plenty of riders to get excited about watching, though, all for different reason, and we’ve picked the best five you should keep your eye on across the end of August and beginning of September.
From GC contenders to breakout stars to farewell appearances, this year’s edition of the Vuelta a España is set up for an explosive three weeks of racing.
Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite the considerable success Primož Roglič has experienced at the Vuelta in recent years, he arguably still has a point to prove at this edition due to a disappointing Tour de France, which is still proving ever-elusive for the Slovenian.
Granted, Roglič is a three-time successive winner looking for his fourth victory in as many years, but victory doesn’t seem as nailed on as it perhaps should for a rider with his palmarès. When considering he hasn’t raced since the Tour de France, which he abandoned before stage 15, questions are certainly raised about his condition ahead of the race.
Team management decided the 32-year-old shouldn’t start stage 15 at the Tour so that he could focus on recovering from the injuries he sustained on the stage five cobbles. Roglič crashed heavily and dislocated his shoulder during the race, which he had to pop back in and continue.
Consequently, he has spent the past few weeks recovering, gradually returning to the bike so as not to place too much pressure on his return.
Regardless of that, though, Roglič is undeniably still the rider to beat. He has won Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2022, and will be Jumbo-Visma’s main rider everything and everyone in the team is geared towards helping. The Belgian squad are a formidable bunch, just ask Tadej Pogačar.
If he is at the race, he will be the favourite.
Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Will Jai Hindley prove a flash in the pan, a one-hit wonder? Or, will he go onto achieve great success in his career as he simply refuses…