# 2012 Vuelta a Andalucía

The 2012 Vuelta a Andalucía was the 58th edition of the Vuelta a Andalucía, a regional Spanish road bicycle race. It was rated as a 2.1 event and was the 13th race of the UCI Europe Tour. The race was held over 19–23 February.
The race was won by Spain's Alejandro Valverde, of the Movistar Team, after taking the overall lead with victory on the second stage, and held the lead to the end of the race. Valverde's winning margin over runner-up Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) was three seconds, and Saur–Sojasun's Jérôme Coppel completed the podium, five seconds behind Taaramäe and eight seconds down on Valverde. In the race's other classifications, Valverde won the points and combination classifications, Cofidis rider Luis Ángel Maté won both the mountains and sprints classifications, and RadioShack–Nissan finished at the head of the teams classification.

## Teams

Sixteen teams participated in the 2012 Vuelta a Andalucía, consisting of seven UCI ProTour teams, eight UCI Professional Continental teams, and one UCI Continental Team.

## Stages
### Prologue
#### 19 February 2012 — San Fernando 6 km (3.7 mi), Prologue (ITT)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Patrick Gretsch (GER) | Project 1t4i | 6' 49" |
| 2 | Markel Irizar (ESP) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 2" |
| 3 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 3" |
| 4 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Rabobank | + 6" |
| 5 | Gaëtan Bille (BEL) | Lotto–Belisol | + 8" |
| 6 | Matthias Brändle (AUT) | Team NetApp | + 10" |
| 7 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 10" |
| 8 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Rabobank | + 11" |
| 9 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Project 1t4i | + 11" |
| 10 | Iván Gutiérrez (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 12" |

### Stage 1
#### 20 February 2012 — Zahara de los Atunes to Benalmádena, 197.9 km (123.0 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Javier Ramírez (ESP) | Andalucía | 5h 02' 10" |
| 2 | Luis Ángel Maté (ESP) | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 3 | Will Routley (CAN) | SpiderTech–C10 | + 3" |
| 4 | Óscar Freire (ESP) | Team Katusha | + 3" |
| 5 | Juan José Lobato (ESP) | Andalucía | + 3" |
| 6 | Manuel Antonio Cardoso (POR) | Caja Rural | + 3" |
| 7 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Rabobank | + 3" |
| 8 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 3" |
| 9 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 3" |
| 10 | Simon Geschke (GER) | Project 1t4i | + 3" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Patrick Gretsch (GER) | Project 1t4i | 5h 09' 02" |
| 2 | Markel Irizar (ESP) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 2" |
| 3 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 3" |
| 4 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Rabobank | + 6" |
| 5 | Gaëtan Bille (BEL) | Lotto–Belisol | + 8" |
| 6 | Matthias Brändle (AUT) | Team NetApp | + 10" |
| 7 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 10" |
| 8 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Rabobank | + 11" |
| 9 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Project 1t4i | + 11" |
| 10 | Iván Gutiérrez (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 12" |

### Stage 2
#### 21 February 2012 — Málaga to Lucena, 144.7 km (89.9 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 4h 02' 37" |
| 2 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 10" |
| 3 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | + 10" |
| 4 | Fränk Schleck (LUX) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 10" |
| 5 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 13" |
| 6 | Igor Antón (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 15" |
| 7 | Matteo Carrara (ITA) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 21" |
| 8 | Adrián Palomares (ESP) | Andalucía | + 21" |
| 9 | Samuel Sánchez (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 23" |
| 10 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 24" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 9h 11' 58" |
| 2 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | + 3" |
| 3 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 8" |
| 4 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 14" |
| 5 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 15" |
| 6 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Project 1t4i | + 18" |
| 7 | Samuel Sánchez (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 21" |
| 8 | Fränk Schleck (LUX) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 22" |
| 9 | Matthias Brändle (AUT) | Team NetApp | + 23" |
| 10 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 26" |

### Stage 3
#### 22 February 2012 — Montemayor to Las Gabias, 157.1 km (97.6 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Óscar Freire (ESP) | Team Katusha | 3h 41' 55" |
| 2 | Daniel Schorn (AUT) | Team NetApp | s.t. |
| 3 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Rabobank | s.t. |
| 4 | Marco Marcato (ITA) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| 5 | Simon Geschke (GER) | Project 1t4i | s.t. |
| 6 | Pim Ligthart (NED) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| 7 | Stéphane Poulhies (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | s.t. |
| 8 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | RadioShack–Nissan | s.t. |
| 9 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 10 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | s.t. |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 12h 53' 53" |
| 2 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | + 3" |
| 3 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 8" |
| 4 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 14" |
| 5 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 15" |
| 6 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Project 1t4i | + 18" |
| 7 | Fränk Schleck (LUX) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 22" |
| 8 | Matthias Brändle (AUT) | Team NetApp | + 23" |
| 9 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 26" |
| 10 | Mikel Astarloza (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 27" |

### Stage 4
#### 23 February 2012 — Jaén to La Guardia de Jaén, 135.7 km (84.3 mi)

| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | Team Katusha | 3h 14' 54" |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | + 2" |
| 3 | Samuel Sánchez (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 2" |
| 4 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 2" |
| 5 | Jelle Vanendert (BEL) | Lotto–Belisol | + 2" |
| 6 | Robert Gesink (NED) | Rabobank | + 2" |
| 7 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 2" |
| 8 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Rabobank | + 2" |
| 9 | Igor Antón (ESP) | Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 2" |
| 10 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | + 2" |
| | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 16h 08' 49" |
| 2 | Rein Taaramäe (EST) | Cofidis | + 3" |
| 3 | Jérôme Coppel (FRA) | Saur–Sojasun | + 8" |
| 4 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Team Katusha | + 14" |
| 5 | Sergey Lagutin (UZB) | Vacansoleil–DCM | + 15" |
| 6 | Tom Dumoulin (NED) | Project 1t4i | + 18" |
| 7 | Fränk Schleck (LUX) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 22" |
| 8 | Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 26" |
| 9 | Maxime Monfort (BEL) | RadioShack–Nissan | + 27" |
| 10 | Wilco Kelderman (NED) | Rabobank | + 28" |

## Classification leadership

| Stage | Winner | General Classification | Mountains Classification | Sprints Classification | Points Classification | Combination Classification | Best Andalusian Rider Classification | Best Spanish Rider Classification | Teams Classification |
| P | Patrick Gretsch | Patrick Gretsch | not awarded | not awarded | Patrick Gretsch | Patrick Gretsch | Pablo Lechuga | Markel Irizar | RadioShack–Nissan |
| 1 | Javier Ramírez | Patrick Gretsch | Luis Ángel Maté | Luis Ángel Maté | Patrick Gretsch | Luis Ángel Maté | Javier Moreno | Markel Irizar | Andalucía |
| 2 | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Mickaël Buffaz | Luis Ángel Maté | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Javier Moreno | Alejandro Valverde | RadioShack–Nissan |
| 3 | Óscar Freire | Alejandro Valverde | Mickaël Buffaz | Luis Ángel Maté | Óscar Freire | Alejandro Valverde | Javier Moreno | Alejandro Valverde | RadioShack–Nissan |
| 4 | Daniel Moreno | Alejandro Valverde | Luis Ángel Maté | Luis Ángel Maté | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Javier Moreno | Alejandro Valverde | RadioShack–Nissan |
| Final | Final | Alejandro Valverde | Luis Ángel Maté | Luis Ángel Maté | Alejandro Valverde | Alejandro Valverde | Javier Moreno | Alejandro Valverde | RadioShack–Nissan |