Nine uphill finishes. It has become the 'law' of the Vuelta a España which, once again this year, presents a demanding route dedicated to those who are strong in the mountains. The third major stage race of 2024 starts on Saturday 16 August from Lisbon with an individual time trial.

The 79th edition includes only one stage for the very few sprinters present, five fractions full of pitfalls but above all thirteen between medium and, indeed, high mountains. Even if the altitude of 2,000 meters will never be exceeded. In total there will be 3,248 km to travel and 59,279 meters of altitude difference. Watch out for the great heat, especially when the group crosses the south of Spain. The conclusion is scheduled in Madrid, on September 8, again with a time trial.

Obviously the most likely name for the final victory is that of Primoz Roglic , chasing his fourth success in the race. But his conditions, after the crash in the Tour de France, are still to be seen. Red Bull Bora has a high-level team with Aleksandr Vlasov, Daniel Martinez, the gamble Florian Lipowitz and our Giovanni Aleotti.

UAE Emirates, after Pogacar's successes at the Giro and the Tour, also wants to conquer the Vuelta (as Jumbo Visma did last year but with three different riders). To do so, it presents a very competitive team: the captains will be Adam Yates and Joao Almeida with Isaac Del Toro ready to amaze. The team also includes Marc Soler, Brandon McNulty, Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov. Then there is Visma Lease a Bike which has the defending champion, Sepp Kuss , expected to be confirmed but in the role of captain. At his side is Cian Uijtdebroeks, eighth in 2023. And then here is Wout Van Aert , hunting for stages and the points classification jersey.

So scattered names but of good value that can fight for the podium like the Spaniards Mikel Landa, Carlos Rodriguez and Enric Mas, then Richard Carapaz, Ben O'Connor, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Felix Gall. For the Italians we mention Antonio Tiberi , captain of Bahrain Victorious, Giulio Ciccone , coming from a good Tour, Lorenzo Fortunato and Filippo Zana, who will divide their time between a classification test and the stages.

The sprinters have decided to skip the appointment. All except Kaden Groves, green jersey last year. Will he be able to confirm himself with such a difficult course?

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