# 2012 Vuelta a España

The 2012 Vuelta a España started on 18 August 2012 and was the 67th edition of the race. The race began in Pamplona with a team time trial and ended on 9 September, as traditional, in Madrid. The 2012 edition saw the return of the Bola del Mundo mountain top finish. It was the venue of an exciting battle between winner Vincenzo Nibali and runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera in the 2010 edition. It was the first time since 1994 that the race visited the region of Navarre. The previous time that Pamplona was visited by a Grand Tour in 1996, when the city hosted the finish of a memorable stage of the 1996 Tour de France. On that occasion, the race paid homage to Miguel Indurain by passing through his home village of Villava en route.
The race was won for the second time by Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank, taking his first overall victory since returning from a doping suspension. Contador, who won the seventeenth stage of the race after a solo attack, won the general classification by 1' 16" over runner-up Alejandro Valverde of the Movistar Team team. Two-time stage winner Valverde also won two sub-classifications on the final day; by taking a sixth-place finish on the stage into Madrid, he overhauled the points tally of Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha) in that classification, and their resultant switch of positions, allowed Valverde to take the combination classification – where the lowest cumulative score across the general, points and mountains classifications wins – as well.
Completing an all-Spanish podium, Rodríguez finished the race third overall, 21 seconds behind Valverde and 1' 37" behind Contador, having led the race for 13 days between the fourth and sixteenth stages. Rodríguez also achieved three stage victories, a tally second only to Argos–Shimano sprinter John Degenkolb who won five stages, the most by a German at the Vuelta. Orica–GreenEDGE's Simon Clarke became the second Australian to win the mountains classification in a Grand Tour, while the Movistar Team comfortably won the teams classification.

## Teams

The 18 UCI ProTour teams were automatically entitled to start the race and were joined by four teams that received a wildcard in April 2012.
The 18 ProTour teams:
| Ag2r–La Mondiale Astana BMC Racing Team Euskaltel–Euskadi FDJ–BigMat Garmin–Sharp | Orica–GreenEDGE Team Katusha Lampre–ISD Liquigas–Cannondale Lotto–Belisol Movistar Team | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step Rabobank RadioShack–Nissan Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank Team Sky Vacansoleil–DCM |
Teams receiving a wildcard:
* Andalucía
* Caja Rural
* Cofidis
* Argos–Shimano
For more details, see List of teams and cyclists in the 2012 Vuelta a España.

## Pre-race favourites

The winner of the 2008 edition of the race, Alberto Contador, made his first Grand Tour appearance since his ban after testing positive for a banned substance at the 2010 Tour de France, and was considered by many the top favourite for overall victory. Another favourite was Chris Froome, who had at the time finished second in the 2011 Vuelta and 2012 Tour de France, and he started the 2012 Vuelta as team leader of Team Sky, having previously worked for Bradley Wiggins. The then winner of the 2011 edition, Juan José Cobo, was looking to replicate his previous year's form after a disappointing 2012 season, and he was co-leader of the Movistar Team alongside Alejandro Valverde.
Other contenders for the podium included Joaquim Rodríguez of Team Katusha, who finished second in the 2012 Giro d'Italia, Igor Antón of Euskaltel–Euskadi, Jurgen Van den Broeck of Lotto–Belisol, Damiano Cunego of Lampre–ISD and Robert Gesink of Rabobank.
Riders who could have made the top ten included Froome's Colombian teammates at Team Sky, Rigoberto Urán and Sergio Henao, Rabobank's Bauke Mollema, RadioShack–Nissan's Maxime Monfort, Vacansoleil–DCM's Thomas De Gendt and Ag2r–La Mondiale's Nicolas Roche.

## Stages

| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 18 August | Pamplona | 16.5 km (10.3 mi) | | Team Time Trial | Movistar Team |
| 2 | 19 August | Pamplona – Viana | 181.4 km (112.7 mi) | | Flat Stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |
| 3 | 20 August | Oion – Arrate (Eibar) | 155.3 km (96.5 mi) | | Medium Mountain Stage | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
| 4 | 21 August | Barakaldo – Valdezcaray | 160.6 km (99.8 mi) | | Medium Mountain Stage | Simon Clarke (AUS) |
| 5 | 22 August | Logroño – Logroño | 168 km (104 mi) | | Flat Stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |
| 6 | 23 August | Tarazona – El Fuerte del Rapitán (Jaca) | 175.4 km (109.0 mi) | | Medium Mountain Stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
| 7 | 24 August | Huesca – Motorland Aragon (Alcañiz) | 164.2 km (102.0 mi) | | Flat Stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |
| 8 | 25 August | Lleida – Coll de la Gallina | 174.7 km (108.6 mi) | | Mountain Stage | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) |
| 9 | 26 August | Andorra – Barcelona | 196.3 km (122.0 mi) | | Flat Stage | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) |
| | 27 August | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 10 | 28 August | Ponteareas – Sanxenxo | 190 km (120 mi) | | Flat Stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |
| 11 | 29 August | Cambados – Pontevedra | 39.4 km (24.5 mi) | | Individual Time Trial | Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE) |
| 12 | 30 August | Vilagarcía – Mirador de Ézaro (Dumbría) | 190.5 km (118.4 mi) | | Medium Mountain Stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
| 13 | 31 August | Santiago de Compostela – Ferrol | 172.8 km (107.4 mi) | | Flat Stage | Steve Cummings (GBR) |
| 14 | 1 September | Palas de Rei – Los Ancares | 149.2 km (92.7 mi) | | Mountain Stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
| 15 | 2 September | La Robla – Lagos de Covadonga | 186.5 km (115.9 mi) | | Mountain Stage | Antonio Piedra (ESP) |
| 16 | 3 September | Gijón – Cuitu Negru | 183.5 km (114.0 mi) | | Mountain Stage | Dario Cataldo (ITA) |
| | 4 September | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 17 | 5 September | Santander – Fuente Dé | 187.3 km (116.4 mi) | | Medium Mountain Stage | Alberto Contador (ESP) |
| 18 | 6 September | Aguilar de Campoo – Valladolid | 204.5 km (127.1 mi) | | Flat Stage | Daniele Bennati (ITA) |
| 19 | 7 September | Peñafiel – La Lastrilla | 178.4 km (110.9 mi) | | Flat Stage | Philippe Gilbert (BEL) |
| 20 | 8 September | Palazuelos de Eresma – Bola del Mundo | 170.7 km (106.1 mi) | | Mountain Stage | Denis Menchov (RUS) |
| 21 | 9 September | Cercedilla – Madrid | 115 km (71 mi) | | Flat Stage | John Degenkolb (GER) |

## Race overview

For details see 2012 Vuelta a España, Stage 1 to Stage 11 and 2012 Vuelta a España, Stage 12 to Stage 21

## Classification leadership table

There were four main classifications contested in the 2012 Vuelta a España, with the most important being the general classification. The general classification was calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the red jersey; the winner of this classification was considered the winner of the Vuelta. In 2012, there were time bonuses given on mass-start stages; twelve seconds were awarded to the stage winner, with eight for second and four for third.
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awards a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists get points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and is identified with a green jersey. There was also a mountains classification. The organisation categorised some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reach the top of these climbs, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The cyclist with the most points led the classification, and was identified with a blue polka dot jersey.
The fourth individual classification was the combination classification, marked by the white jersey. This classification is calculated by adding the numeral ranks of each cyclist in the general, points and mountains classifications – a rider must have a score in all classifications possible to qualify for the combination classification – with the lowest cumulative total signifying the winner of this competition.
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team is the team with the lowest total time. For the combativity award, a jury gives points after each stage to the cyclists they considered most combative. The cyclist with the most votes in all stages leads the classification. For the daily combative winner, the rider in question donned a dossard with a red background, on the following stage.
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Points classification | Mountains classification | Combination classification | Team classification | Combativity award |
| 1 | Movistar Team | Jonathan Castroviejo | not awarded | not awarded | not awarded | Movistar Team | Imanol Erviti |
| 2 | John Degenkolb | Jonathan Castroviejo | John Degenkolb | Javier Chacón | Javier Chacón | Movistar Team | Javier Aramendia |
| 3 | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Pim Ligthart | Alejandro Valverde | Movistar Team | Philippe Gilbert |
| 4 | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Luis Ángel Maté |
| 5 | John Degenkolb | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Javier Chacón |
| 6 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Team Sky | Thomas De Gendt |
| 7 | John Degenkolb | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Team Sky | Javier Aramendia |
| 8 | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Javier Aramendia |
| 9 | Philippe Gilbert | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Javier Chacón |
| 10 | John Degenkolb | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Javier Aramendia |
| 11 | Fredrik Kessiakoff | Joaquim Rodríguez | John Degenkolb | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Fredrik Kessiakoff |
| 12 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Mikel Astarloza |
| 13 | Steve Cummings | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Alejandro Valverde | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Juan Antonio Flecha |
| 14 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Rabobank | Juan Manuel Gárate |
| 15 | Antonio Piedra | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Antonio Piedra |
| 16 | Dario Cataldo | Joaquim Rodríguez | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Dario Cataldo |
| 17 | Alberto Contador | Alberto Contador | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Alberto Contador |
| 18 | Daniele Bennati | Alberto Contador | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Gatis Smukulis |
| 19 | Philippe Gilbert | Alberto Contador | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Ji Cheng |
| 20 | Denis Menchov | Alberto Contador | Joaquim Rodríguez | Simon Clarke | Joaquim Rodríguez | Movistar Team | Simon Clarke |
| 21 | John Degenkolb | Alberto Contador | Alejandro Valverde | Simon Clarke | Alejandro Valverde | Movistar Team | not awarded |
| Final | Final | Alberto Contador | Alejandro Valverde | Simon Clarke | Alejandro Valverde | Movistar Team | Alberto Contador |

### Notes

* In stage 3, Javier Aramendia, who was second in the combination classification, wore the white jersey, because Javier Chacón (in first place) wore the blue polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification during that stage.
* In stage 4, John Degenkolb, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because Alejandro Valverde (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification during that stage. As well as that, Joaquim Rodríguez, who was second in the combination classification, wore the white jersey as Valverde also holds the lead of that classification.
* In stage 5, Pim Ligthart, who was second in the mountains classification, wore the blue polka-dot jersey, because Simon Clarke (in first place) wore the green jersey as leader of the points classification during that stage. As well as that, Alejandro Valverde, who was second in the combination classification wore the white jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification.
* In stages 6, 7 and 8, Alejandro Valverde, who was second in the combination classification wore the white jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification.
* In stages 9, 10 and 11, Chris Froome, who was third in the combination classification wore the white jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification, and Alejandro Valverde (in second place) wore the blue polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification.
* In stage 10, John Degenkolb, who was second in the points classification wore the green jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification.
* In stages 12, 13 and 14, Alberto Contador, who was third in the combination classification wore the white jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification, and Alejandro Valverde (in second place) wore the blue polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification.
* In stage 13, John Degenkolb, who was third in the points classification wore the green jersey as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification, and Alejandro Valverde (in second place) wore the blue polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification. In stage 14, Degenkolb still wore the green jersey, as the second-placed rider in the points classification.
* In stages 15, 16 and 17, Alejandro Valverde, who was second in the points classification, wore the green jersey, as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) wore the red jersey as leader of the general classification and Alberto Contador, who was third in the combination classification, wore the white jersey.
* In stages 18 and 19, Alejandro Valverde, who is second in the combination classification, will wear the white jersey, as Joaquim Rodríguez (in first place) will wear the green jersey as leader of the points classification.

## Standings
### General classification

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank | 84h 59' 49" |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 1' 16" |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 1' 37" |
| 4 | Chris Froome (GBR) | Team Sky | + 10' 16" |
| 5 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 11' 29" |
| 6 | Robert Gesink (NED) | Rabobank | + 12' 23" |
| 7 | Andrew Talansky (USA) | Garmin–Sharp | + 13' 28" |
| 8 | Laurens ten Dam (NED) | Rabobank | + 13' 41" |
| 9 | Igor Antón (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 14' 01" |
| 10 | Beñat Intxausti (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 16' 13" |

### Points classification

| | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 199 |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 193 |
| 3 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank | 161 |
| 4 | John Degenkolb (GER) | Argos–Shimano | 149 |
| 5 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | RadioShack–Nissan | 107 |
| 6 | Chris Froome (GBR) | Team Sky | 93 |
| 7 | Allan Davis (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | 84 |
| 8 | Elia Viviani (ITA) | Liquigas–Cannondale | 79 |
| 9 | Lloyd Mondory (FRA) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 74 |
| 10 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | 72 |

### King of the Mountains classification

| | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Simon Clarke (AUS) | Orica–GreenEDGE | 63 |
| 2 | David de la Fuente (ESP) | Caja Rural | 40 |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 36 |
| 4 | Thomas De Gendt (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 33 |
| 5 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 31 |
| 6 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank | 28 |
| 7 | Dario Cataldo (ITA) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | 27 |
| 8 | Richie Porte (AUS) | Team Sky | 21 |
| 9 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | 20 |
| 10 | David Moncoutié (FRA) | Cofidis | 18 |

### Combination classification

| | Rider | Team | Total |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 8 |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 8 |
| 3 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank | 10 |
| 4 | Chris Froome (GBR) | Team Sky | 30 |
| 5 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | 48 |
| 6 | Nicolas Roche (IRL) | Ag2r–La Mondiale | 65 |
| 7 | Eros Capecchi (ITA) | Liquigas–Cannondale | 79 |
| 8 | Thomas De Gendt (BEL) | Vacansoleil–DCM | 80 |
| 9 | Dario Cataldo (ITA) | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step | 85 |
| 10 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | 88 |

### Team classification

| Pos. | Team | Time |
| 1 | Movistar Team | 254h 52' 49" |
| 2 | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 9' 40" |
| 3 | Ag2r–La Mondiale | + 20' 19" |
| 4 | Rabobank | + 23' 48" |
| 5 | Team Sky | + 26' 55″ |
| 6 | Team Katusha | + 36' 07" |
| 7 | Lampre–ISD | + 53' 00″ |
| 8 | Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank | + 1h 1' 11" |
| 9 | RadioShack–Nissan | + 1h 17' 34" |
| 10 | Caja Rural | + 1h 25' 10" |