The warm-up towards the third Grand Tour of the season has begun, with one of the crucial races ahead of La Vuelta a España being, as per tradition, the Vuelta a Burgos. This year’s edition of the 5-day stage race, taking place in the region of Northern Spain, will start on August 5th in Vilviestre del Pinar and conclude after covering a total of 640 km on August 9th in Treviño, a new finish town in the history of the race.
“Vuelta a Burgos is a fantastic race for preparation ahead of La Vuelta,” explains Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Neil Stephens. “We’re coming here with the aim of doing the best job we can. Not only are we preparing for the third Grand Tour, which is the main team objective over the next month and a half, but also we’re aiming for good team results in this race. The better we perform here in Burgos, the better prepared we’ll be for La Vuelta.”
Over the 5 days of racing, the riders will face the typical undulating Spanish terrain, providing balanced opportunities for different kinds of riders, from sprinters to climbers, and this year, also time-trialists.
“Burgos offers a great mix of stages,” Stephens comments. “The first two stages are more suited to the fast guys: the first stage (Vilviestre del Pinar-Burgos, 168km) really suits the sprinters, while the second stage (Villasana de Mena-Ojo Guareña, 161km) has a bit of an uphill kick (1.2 km at 5.6%), favoring punchy sprinters. The third stage (Bodegas Nabal-Lagunas de Neila, 138km) is a mountain stage with the only proper summit finish of the week (11km at 5.5%), ideal for our climbers. The fourth stage (Santa Maria del Campo-Pampliega, 18.5km) is a flat time-trial, where we aim to get a team result and use it as final preparation for La Vuelta. The final stage (Frías-Treviño, 156km) will likely end in a sprint.”
Regarding the team’s ambitions for the race, Stephens adds, “I hear that everyone’s in good form. We’re coming here after a long period off the bike; some of our riders have been sick or injured, while others have just attended altitude camps. They will be looking to get their race rhythm back after a block of training. We’re aiming to do our best with our team leader, Antonio Tiberi, although we don’t want to put too much pressure on him for a great result here in Burgos. He’s in great shape and wants to test himself in the climbs and the time trial stage. Our road captain, Damiano Caruso, is also in excellent shape. He’s here to support Antonio but also to test himself, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he features in the final GC results. Another strong climber, Torstein Træen, returns to racing after his stage win at the Tour de Suisse and is in good shape, ready to support the team in the climbs.”
Stephens continues, “Jasha Sütterlin and Kamil Gradek, the big engines of the team, are both recovering from injuries but are in good shape. They’re ready to work hard this week, stepping up a level to not only perform well here but also to prepare for La Vuelta. Our lineup includes two young riders: Fran Miholjevic, an all-round helper, and Matevz Govekar, who will mainly work with the team but will receive support if he’s in a position to contest stage finishes. His first professional race was here in Burgos, where he managed to take a stage win. He’s looking forward to potentially repeating that success, while his primary focus will be on team support.”
