Quick adjustments before a final pre-race training ride(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Fresh tubulars are stuffed in this shelf space(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
A wall rack holds every Rotor ring permutation a pro needs(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
No big deal, just a holdall full of Dura-Ace cassettes(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Fuji's wheel brand Oval uses Reynolds rims, and when the supply doesn't come through, sometimes they simply re-sticker Reynolds own wheels(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
If something doesn't fit right, you can always grind it(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
A selection of wheels fills one end of the bus, some with tyres glued, some without(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Turbo trainers for warming up line the wall(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
In a separate compartment, one of the team staff is making rice cakes for the riders…(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
…perfect for starving cyclists (Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
An essential appliance for all that filthy Lycra(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
The bus's cargo space is mostly filled with drinks(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Next to the bus, the bike setup jig is ready(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
We switch bikes constantly at BikeRadar – one of these would be so useful(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
In the riders' own bus, the team green is everywhere(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
This aero helmet cover wouldn't be our choice for Spain's sweltering heat(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Even the towels are green!(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
This Ultegra training clincher looked a little lonely(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
The other side is Transonics, Altamiras, and the new SL(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Inside the bus, one side is devoted to Fuji Norcom TT bikes(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
The Caja Rural-Seguros RGA mechanics' bus(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Caja-Rural doesn't have an offical shoe sponsor so the riders wear a variety of shoes. Omar Fraile seems to have a friend at Giro(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
There's no sense of panic as one of Basque rider Amets Txurruka's bikes gets some attention(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
This mechanic seems to have a lot of faith in the strength of Rotor's chainring teeth(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Another stand, another bike, with fresh tape half-applied(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
According to Portuguese rider Ricardo Vilela's Garmin, it's 31.6 degrees C. At 10am!(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
A Caja Rural-Seguros RGA mechanic at work. Cool as ice(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Here, another bike gets a fresh gear cable(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
We know you love tools – here are some tools!(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
"Handwaschpaste" seems fairly self-explanatory(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
More tasty tools from our favourite blue tool company(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
This steerer cutting guide suggests someone's been building fresh framesets up(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
More tools, and a discarded chain to boot(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Part of looking pro is always riding a clean bike – must be nice?(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
While we were loitering, the mechanics rigged up a scale in this doorway to check bike weights. The new SL is so light it's been causing some head scratching?(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
These weights were being considered to bring bikes up to the 6.8kg mininum. It was noticeable that many were already fitted with relatively heavy alloy finishing kit(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
Like many teams, Caja Rural is sponsored by Skoda(Image credit: Matthew Allen / Immediate Media)
The Vuelta a España is about to get under way and it's got the makings of a good one, with some heavy hitters out to prove themselves. It's the last chance at glory for those who've had a disappointing season so far, and it's also a hugely important opportunity for the five wildcard entries that will race alongside the 17 WorldTour teams over the next three weeks.
Spanish Pro Continental team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA is one of those five, and we had a nose round the outfit's vehicles as the team was preparing to roll out for one last training ride the morning before the Vuelta begins. Faced with the immense logistical challenge that supporting nine pros over 3,357km of racing presents, there was no particular sense of tension or anxiety – despite our best efforts to get in the way.
Take a look at the huge gallery above for an insight into what keeps a pro team on the road.
To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
