Vuelta Travelogue - Quintessential Spain
La Vuelta a Espana: A Grand Tour [Part 7]
The final test
At 40 km, the Stage 20 individual time trial will suit power riders. Lacking in hills, the second half of the course sweeps gently downwards to the city of Alcalá de Henares. Again we are reminded of Don Quixote as Miguel Cervantes was christened here.
If the riders carried on past the finish line they would quickly arrive in Madrid, just 31 km further up the road. The race organizers will stage a Vuelta ‘homecoming' on the circuit that just seven days later will host the UCI World Road Race Championships. If the GC is settled before this stage starts, we will see a promenade into Spain's capital with the stage outcome decided by the sprinters. However if the GC is still within reach of several riders we could well see a race that mimics the style of the World Championship Road race.
Madrid of course is one of the great capitals of Europe. Its architecture, museums and culture celebrate the great country of Spain. Here you will find Picasso and Dali, bull fights and flamenco and historical links that date back to the Lower Paleolithic age.
Like the rest of Spain it lives with the past but is in the vanguard for all that is our modern world.
From the rich tapestry that is Spain you can choose your own Quintessential Spain . And in that tapestry La Vuelta a Espana has woven its own place within this unforgettable culture.
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