New jerseys for Movistar, Astana, Arkéa as teams arrive via boats on Utrecht canal to enthusiastic Dutch crowds
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Team Jumbo - Visma enjoys the boat ride on the canal before disembarking to the formal part of the Team Presentation(Image credit: Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Movistar revealed a unique jersey at the Team Presentation that paid tribute to its top rider, Alejandro Valverde(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Alejandro Valverde points to the collection of his career highlights, and signature, that appear on the Movistar jersey for this year's Vuelta.(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Arkéa-Samsic also showed off new kits as fluo yellow replaced red(Image credit: Arkea-Samsic)
Astana Qazaqstan will turn out in white jerseys rather than the regular blue, too(Image credit: Astana Qazaqstan)
Riders on Equipo Kern Pharma travel to the Team Presentation of La Vuelta 2022 via boat on Utrecht canal(Image credit: Bas CzerwinskiGetty Images)
Riders on AG2R Citroën Team enjoy the boat ride to the Vuelta team presentation(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
World Champion Julian Alaphilippe waves from back of the boat as he and QuickStep-AlphaVinyl teammates travel to the Team presentation of the 2022 Vuelta(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
The unique entrance to the Utrecht Teams Presentation(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Team Bahrain Victorious wave team flag to huge crowds that line the Utrecht canal (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Dutch rider Oscar Riesebeek among the Alpecin-Deceuninck team receiving applause en route to the Team Presentation on Thursday(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Among the Ineos Grenadiers riders receiving cheers from the crowd is Dylan Van Baarle of the Netherlands (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Alejandro Valverde takes the stage with Movistar teammates(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
EF Education-EasyPost takes the stage for the Team Presentation in Utrecht, Netherlands(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Jumbo-Visma is the final team on the stage, and receives roars from the crow with three Dutch riders - Robert Gesink, Sam Oomen and Mike Teunissen(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Vincenzo Nibali of Team Astana-Qazaqstan with teammates during ceremony(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma addresses the huge crowd(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Thibaut Pinot of Groupama-FDJ during Team Presentation in Utrecht, Netherlands(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Team members of Euskaltel - Euskadi enjoy the boat ride on the canal(Image credit: Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Julian Alaphilippe (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) takes time to greet friends and fans at Teams Presentation(Image credit: Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Primoz Roglic and Sepp Kuss of Jumbo - Visma at the Team Presentation(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
A crowd favourite in his home country is Dylan Van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers)(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Dutchman Wilco Kelderman said a few words, standing next to Bora - Hansgrohe teammate Jai Hindley (Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Chris Froome says a few words while on the stage with Israel-Premier Tech teammates(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
La Vuelta decorations line the waterways and the streets of Utrecht (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
La Vuelta decoration in the the streets of Utrecht(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Thousands of fans hold up signs during the Team Presentation to celebrate the start in Utrecht, Netherlands (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Fans respond to video on a giant screen during Team Presentation as the sun fades on Thursday evening(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Thousands of fans for Teams presentation in Utrecht's Vredenburg-Platz(Image credit: Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
The streets and waterways of Utrecht, Netherlands were decorated ahead of the Grand Depart of the 2022 Vuelta a España, with the team celebrations taking place on Thursday ahead of the team time trial that will see the 184 riders race through the city on Friday.
Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma welcomed the large crowd gathered on Vredenburg-Platz, noting that the Netherlands had now scored a trifecta for hosting all the Grand Tours, most recently the Tour de France in 2015 and three times for the Giro d’Italia (2002, 2010, 2016). It is the second time the Vuelta has started in the Netherlands, last in 2009 in Drenthe.
The riders representing the 23 teams were paraded past fans along the Utrecht canal using boats to sail on the waterway to the main plaza area.
Several teams will turn out in new kits for the Vuelta. Movistar will race in white with a special design honouring their retiring leader Alejandro Valverde. Astana Qazaqstan will also be in a white switch kit, while Arkéa-Samsic will be racing in fluorescent yellow as their regular red jersey clashes with the Vuelta leader's jersey.
One of the first of the teams to parade on the stage was Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, and the crowd responded with loud cheers and applause for hometown favourite Boy van Poppel.
The Dutch squad Jumbo-Visma was the final team to make introductions to the crowd, with three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič and a roster complete with three Dutch riders - Robert Gesink, Sam Oomen and Mike Teunissen.
Other teams with riders making the Vuelta start on home soil are Bora-Hansgrohe (Wilco Kelderman, Danny van Poppel), Bahrain Victorious (Wouter Poels), EF Education-EasyPost (Julius van den Berg), Ineos Grenadiers (Dylan van Baarle), Team DSM (Joris Nieuwenhuis), Trek-Segafredo (Daan Hoole) and Burgos-BH (Jetse Bol).
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After a technical 23.3km team time trial on Friday moving counter-clockwise around the city centre. There are two more days of racing in the Netherlands before moving to Spain.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
