Spanish Grand Tour to return to Utecht after 2020 cancellation
The podium of the 2020 Vuelta a España(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
The 2022 Vuelta a España will start in the Nertherlands, with the Spanish Grand Tour kicking off with a team time trial in Utrecht before road race stages from ‘s-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht and around Breda.
The Netherlands was set to host the first three stages of the 2020 edition Vuelta but the La Vuelta Holanda Grand Depart was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the reduced, 18-stage race started in the Basque Country.
The 2022 edition will be the second edition of La Vuelta to start in the Netherlands, after Assen hosted the race in 2009. It will be the fourth time the Vuelta starts outside of Spain after Lisbon 1987, Assen 2009, and Nîmes 2017.
The race will be focused on Utrecht, Breda, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and neighbouring North Brabant province, with organisers Unipublic having published maps for the opening three stages showing the same route details as the planned 2020 start.
Utrecht will host the team presentation, the initial team time trial, and the finish line for the second stage that will begin in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The third stage will cover a long loop around Breda, starting and finishing in the city.
Stage distances and the dates for the 2022 Vuelta have still to be confirmed. The full route of the 2022 Vuelta is expected to be presented at the end of the year.
This year’s race starts in Burgos in northern Spain on August 14. Primoz Roglic beat Richard Carapaz by 24 seconds to win the 2020 Vuelta.
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“To return to the Netherlands, which is the quintessential cycling nation, is something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time,” the director of La Vuelta Javier Guillén said, posing with former Dutch Vuelta winner Joop Zoetemelk (winner in 1979) and Jan Janssen (winner in 1967).
“Holland is a guarantee for success in terms of organisation and I have no doubt that, despite the complexity of the current situation, we will be able to carry out the event safely and successfully.”
“In 2020 we were forced to make a decision that we never wanted to make, but which we were compelled to make given the circumstances. Despite everything, the Netherlands’ commitment and wish to host La Vuelta hasn’t changed a bit since then. It’s a pleasure for us to work with institutions that are so committed and that love cycling as much as they do.”
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The map of the opening stage of the 2022 Vuelta(Image credit: Unipublic)
The map of stage 2 of the 2022 Vuelta(Image credit: Unipublic)
The map of stage 3 of the 2022 Vuelta(Image credit: Unipublic)
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