2019 Vuelta a España

The 2019 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain, Andorra and France between 24 August and 15 September 2019. The race was the 74th edition of the Vuelta a España and is the final Grand Tour of the 2019 cycling season. The race started with a team time trial in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca.
The race was won by Primož Roglič of Team Jumbo–Visma, making him the first Slovenian rider to win a Grand Tour. Rounding out the podium were Alejandro Valverde of Movistar Team in second and Roglič's compatriot Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates in third.
Along with the overall, Roglič also took the points classification. Geoffrey Bouchard of AG2R La Mondiale won the mountains classification, while Pogačar was the best young rider. Miguel Ángel López of Astana was named the overall most combative, and Movistar Team won the team classification.
The 18 UCI WorldTeams are automatically invited to the race. In addition, four Professional Continental teams obtained a wildcard, bringing the number of teams to 22.
The teams that entered the race were:
UCI WorldTeams
UCI Professional Continental teams
The winner of the 2018 Vuelta a España, Simon Yates, had decided to not defend his title after riding in the 2019 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. Steven Kruijswijk, Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma), Miguel Ángel López, Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) were considered among the pre-race favourites. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) were considered as potential stage winners and points classification contenders. Kruijswijk climbed on the podium of the 2019 Tour de France, while his team partner Roglič got third at the 2019 Giro d'Italia. López was on the podium on both the 2018 Giro d'Italia and the 2018 Vuelta a España.
There were three previous winners among the participating cyclists: Alejandro Valverde (2009), Fabio Aru (2015) and Nairo Quintana (2016). Valverde (Movistar Team) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) also attempted to defend their points and mountain classification titles.
The Vuelta a España has four individual classifications, for which jerseys were awarded daily to the leading rider, as well as a team competition. The primary classification is the general classification, which is calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. Time bonuses were awarded at the end of every stage apart from the team time trial (stage 1) and individual time trial (stage 10). The rider with the lowest cumulative time is the leader of the general classification, and wears the red jersey. The leader of the general classification at the end of the race is considered the overall winner of the Vuelta a España.
The second classification is the points classification. Riders receive points for finishing among the highest placed in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints during the stages. The points available for each stage finish are determined by the stage's type. The leader is identified by a green jersey.
The next classification is the mountains classification. Points are awarded to the riders that reach the summit of the most difficult climbs first. The climbs are categorized, in order of increasing difficulty, third-, second-, and first- and special-category. The leader wears white jersey with blue polka dots.
The final of the individual classifications is the young rider classification, which is calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage for each rider born on or after 1 January 1994. The rider with the lowest cumulative time is the leader of the young rider classification, and wears the white jersey.
There is also the team classification. After each stage, the times of the three highest finishers of each team are added together. The victory is awarded to the team with the lowest cumulative time at the end of the event.
In addition, there is one individual award: the combativity award. This award is given after each stage (excluding the team time trial and individual time trial) to the rider "who displayed the most generous effort and best sporting spirit." The daily winner wears a green number bib the following stage. At the end of the Vuelta, a jury decides the top three riders for the “Most Combative Rider of La Vuelta”, with a public vote deciding the victor.