From Olano and Vandenbroucke to Horner and Contador
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David Millar celebrating after claiming stage 20 victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The late Frank Vandenbroucke won two stages at the 1999 Vuelta and formed an alliance with Jan Ullrich(Image credit: AFP)
Chris Horner leads Vincenzo Nibali through the fog on the Angliru at the 2013 Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2005 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Astana celebrate the 2006 Vuelta a España win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2006 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
An all gold Alexandre Vinokourov won the 2006 Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andrey Kashechkin wins ahead of teammate Alexandre Vinokourov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2007 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sébastien Minard and Bingen Fernández show off their new helmets(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Roberto Herras in 2002(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Ángel Casero celebrates his 2001 Vuelta win with champagne(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Marco Pantani riding the 2001 Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joseba Beloki in the leader's ejrsey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Erik Zabel in the Points jersey, not the fish jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2004 Vuelta podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tyler Hamilton and Alexandre Vinokourov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A young Alejandro Valverde in 2004(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2203 Vuelta podium included Alejandro Valverde who finished third(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Rasmussen in 2003(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador celebrates his first Vuelta a España(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2008 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tomas Vaitkus swaps helmets with the moto driver(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Horner and Vincenzo Nibali battle of the 2013 overall classification(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodríguez thanks his fan clubs after the 2012 Vuelta a España(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador celebrating his 2012 Vuelta a España win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The all Spanish Vuelta a España podium of 2012(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador with his Saxo-Tinkoff teammates on the final day of the Vuelta a España(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodríguez wins the 12th stage of the Vuelta a España(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
These four riders will resume their fifth for the overall in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Juan José Cobo shakes Braley Wiggins' hand on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2011 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2010 Vuelta a España champion Vincenzo Nibali(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2010 Vuelta a España podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The top three from 2009: Sammy Sanchez, Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alejandro Valverde and Sammy Sanchez enjoy a champagne fight(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alejandro Valverde and his teamamtes in 2009, the last year the leader's jersey was gold(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andre Greipel wins the final stage in Madrid and reminds everyone of his sponsor(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alejandro Valverde and Sammy Sanchez in 2009(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Filippo Simeoni in the 2003 Domina Vacanze team kit(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
David Millar won stage 17 of the 2003 Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Champagne for the 2010 podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Aitor González won the 2002 edition of the Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alessandro Petacchi wins stage 14 of the 2003 Vuelta in Valdepenas(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matt White and David Millar relaxing in 2003 ahead of stage 15(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
At 41-yeras-old, Chris Honer became the oldest ever grand tour winner with victory at the 2013 Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
RadioShack toast Chris Horner's Vuelta win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Euskaltel-Euskadi won the team classification in its final Vuelta(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Horner (RadioShack) holds aloft the Vuelta winner's trophy(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
1999 race winner Jan Ullrich leads the peloton(Image credit: AFP)
Floyd Landis (Us Postal) time trialing at the Vuelta in 2004(Image credit: AFP)
Australia Matt White in US Postal colours in 2003(Image credit: AFP)
A young Alejandro Valverde in the 2003 Vuelta while riding for Kelme(Image credit: AFP)
Roberto Heras and Johan Bruyneel at the Vuelta(Image credit: AFP)
Floyd Landis wore the leader's jersey in the 2004 Vuelta(Image credit: AFP)
Dave Zabriskie on his way to a lone stage win in 2004(Image credit: AFP)
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) climbs L´Angliru(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Levi Leipheimer leads team leader Alberto Contador(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alberto Contador had already won the Giro in 2008 before taking the Vuelta too(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Damiano Cunego takes his second stage of the race in 2009. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin) wins a stage during the 2009 Vuelta(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Jan Ullrich leads the Vuelta in 1999(Image credit: AFP)
The 2001 Vuelta contenders in action(Image credit: AFP)
Isidro Nozal (ONCE-Eroski) led the Vuelta but cracked in the final time trial in 2003(Image credit: AFP)
The ONCE team were a major force in the Vuelta(Image credit: AFP)
Alex Zulle was passed his best years in 2003(Image credit: AFP)
Oscar Sevilla (Kelme) leading the Vuelta in 2002 with Angel Casero (Festina) on his wheel(Image credit: AFP)
Igor Anton lead the Vuelta in 2010 but crashed out(Image credit: AFP)
Joaquim Rodriguez (Team Katusha) saw his Vuelta chances fall apart in the final time trial in 2010(Image credit: AFP)
Chris Sutton (Team Sky) wins a stage in 2011(Image credit: AFP)
Bradley Wiggins leading the Vuelta in 2011(Image credit: AFP)
Stijn Devolder was once tipped as the next Lance Armstrong(Image credit: AFP)
Oscar Friere (Rabobank) wining a stage in 2008(Image credit: AFP)
2010 Vuelta a Espana winner Vincenzo Nibali in Liquigas colours(Image credit: AFP)
Marcel Kittel's grand tour breakthrough came in the 2011 Vuelta(Image credit: AFP)
A mass pile up in Toledo during the 2011 edition of the Vuelta a Espana(Image credit: AFP)
Alberto Contado (Saxo Bank) wins the Vuelta in 2012 with a long attack to Fuente De(Image credit: AFP)
A young Joaquim Rodriguez in his ONCE days(Image credit: AFP)
Abraham Olano won the Vuelta in 1998(Image credit: AFP)
An exhausted Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) at the finish line in Fuente Dé after conceding more than two and a half minutes plus the leader's jersey to Alberto Contador.(Image credit: AFP)
Kenny Elissonde (FDJ) wins atop the Angliru.(Image credit: AFP)
With the 2014 Vuelta a España days away Cyclingnews opens up the photo album and delves back through the archives of Spain’s grand tour.
Over the last two decades the Vuelta has thrown up its fair share of excitement from the debut of the Angrilu in 1999 to Contador's fight back at Fuente De in 2012 and Chris Horner's win last year.
Take a look at the faces and personalities who have marked the race over the years, and let the memories come back.
Click here for the photo gallery.
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