La Vuelta a España 2019 – Nairo Quintana. Sam Bennett, Primoz Roglic - 10 key riders to watch
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Updated 23/08/2019 at 17:33 GMT
Ahead of the third and final Grand Tour of the year, our cycling correspondent Felix Lowe picks out 10 key riders who should have a large say in the events of the next three weeks in Spain.
Nairo Quintana, Primoz Roglic and Tao Geoghegan Hart
Image credit: Getty Images
Nairo Quintana (Movistar)
He saved his Tour with a stage win in Valloire, but as compatriot Egan Bernal became Colombia's first ever Tour winner in July, Quintana – for whom the expression 'all fart and no poop' could have been coined – showed once again why he's become largely anachronistic.
Fear not. Now the 29-year-old has a real chance to right that wrong, especially in the light of the late withdrawal of team-mate Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian Giro champion would have entered the race as joint leader, but Quintana now finds his path clear, with Spaniard Mikel Landa not part of Movistar's plans ahead of his move to Bahrain Merida.
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'Quintana comes out to play!' with glorious Stage 18 win
A lot will depend on how Quintana dovetails with Alejandro Valverde, who, if he has the legs, may find allies in the team's Spanish contingent – the likes of Marc Soler, Antonio Pedrero and Imanol Erviti; in short, those who may be more prepared to work for the veteran world champion rather than a troublemaker on his way out.
But play his cards right, and rediscover some of the form of old, and Quintana, the 2016 champion, could finish his Movistar career on an unlikely high.
Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe)
It remains to be seen where the Irishman will be plying his trade next year, but the best way to put himself in the shop window – for a transfer or better contract at Bora – will be winning some of the six flat stages in Spain.
Overlooked in the Giro and Tour as Bora favoured Pascal Ackermann and Peter Sagan, Bennett has nevertheless proved himself to be arguably the fastest man on two wheels this year – notching 11 wins including a hat-trick of successive scalps at last week's Binck Bank Tour.
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Bennett seals Binckbank hat-trick in close finish
With his only serious sprint rivals coming in the form of an out-of-sorts Fernando Gaviria (UAE-Team Emirates), Grand Tour debutant Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and the double Tour de Pologne stage winner Luka Mezgec (Mitchelton-Scott), Bennett will be confident of adding to his three wins from last year's Giro.
The only (albeit considerable) question marks will be the heat and the mountainous terrain in what will be the 28-year-old's first appearance in the Vuelta. After all, Spain is a country where only one of his 40 career wins has come.
Sergio Higuita (EF Education First)
Jonathan Vaughters gives a Grand Tour debut to the pint-sized 22-year-old Colombian, who joined EF Education First in May ahead of the Tour of California. Higuita, all 57 kilograms of him, finished in the top three in both the main mountain stages there, and came fourth overall in the Tour de Pologne.
A lot will depend on whether Higuita can spread his wings in the mountain or if he'll be largely shackled to the bike of compatriot Rigoberto Uran, who is one of the big pre-race favourites for the red jersey.
EF Education First's exciting team also includes spots for Britain's Hugh Carthy, who was 11th in the Giro, the American Tejay Van Garderen, who crashed out of the Tour after finishing runner-up in the Dauphine, and Higuita's fellow Colombian youngster Dani Martinez, who makes his Vuelta debut.
It's a team who could really do some damage in the mountains – and Higuita should be at the heart of that.
Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana)
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Team Astana rider Colombia's Miguel Angel Lopez (L), wearing the white jersey of the leader of the young rider rides during the stage seventeen of the 102nd Giro d'Italia - Tour of Italy - cycle race, 181kms from Commezzadura to Anterselva/Antholz on May
Image credit: Getty Images
A disappointing seventh in the Giro, the Colombian will hope to bounce back by bettering his third place in Madrid last September. With both of the riders who finished above him – Simon Yates and Enric Mas – not racing the Vuelta, Lopez must be seen as one of the favourites.
But will it be the 25-year-old who leads Astana, or will Jakub Fuglsang get the nod? The Dane has been one of the stand-out stars of the season after a string of wins – including Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Dauphine. And having crashed out of the Tour, the 34-year-old will be keen celebrate his new two-year contract with Astana by getting back to winning ways.
That said, Fuglsang has never finished above seventh in a Grand Tour, while Lopez has done so three times in his last three appearances – making the podium twice.
It's now or never, perhaps, for Superman, though. With the field weakened by the absence of Froome, Thomas, Bernal, Carapaz, Yates, Dumoulin et al, Lopez will have high hopes that it's he – rather than compatriots Quintana or Uran – who makes it a Grand Tour grand slam for South America in 2019.
Estaban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott)
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Esteban Chaves
Image credit: Eurosport
But what about the forgotten man from Colombia, the smiling assassin Estaban Chaves? A long struggle with the Epstein Barr virus has meant his last Grand Tour podium finish was three years ago on the 2016 Vuelta.
Chaves won on Mount Etna in last year's Giro before taking a step back from cycling to recover. His comeback saw the 29-year-old win a stage on this year's Giro while riding in the support of Simon Yates. And with both Simon and his brother Adam sitting out the third Grand Tour of the season, Chaves has been given a chance to prove his worth again as a team leader.
With Mikel Nieve and Tsgabu Grmay in support in the mountains and the likes of road captains Sam Bewley and Damien Howson part of a strong Mitchelton-Scott set-up, Chaves could be a dark horse provided his legs, body and mind respond well to the test. It's a big if, but the neutrals will hope Chaves keeps smiling.
Oscar Rodriguez (Euskadi Basque Country – Murias)
A surprise stage winner ahead of Rafal Majka and Dylan Teuns at La Camperona last year, the Spanish 24-year-old returns for a second bite of the Vuelta cherry in stellar form – having won the KoM jersey in La Route d'Occitanie in June and finished runner-up in the Vuelta a Burgos earlier this month.
Given his lack of threat to the big GC favourites, Rodriguez is a strong bet to push for the polka dot jersey and will fight tooth and nail to add more stage wins to his name.
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'What a ride!' - Rodriguez wins Stage 13
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
The imminent arrival of Tom Dumoulin will mean a lot of Jumbo-Visma riders will have a point to prove in the final big stage race of the season. Theirs is a strong team that features Steven Kruijswijk, George Bennett and, pick of the bunch, the Slovenian Roglic.
Third in the Giro despite looking the odds-on favourite in the opening two weeks, Roglic will hope to build on his stratospheric progress while staking a claim for team leadership at next year's Tour by doing something Kruijswijk has yet to manage: win a Grand Tour.
On paper, he has what it takes: the 36km time trial suits him to a tee, while Jumbo-Visma have a strong enough team to win the opening TTT. Carapaz was the rider who found him out in the Giro but the Ecuadorian is not here.
Still, the strong roster of climbers – coupled with the eight summit finishes, some of which on savagely steep slopes – should be enough to put doubt in Roglic's head. And if he entered the Giro perhaps a bit overcooked, the opposite can be said here: he's only raced once since the Verona time trial, and that was the lowly Slovenian national championships.
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Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
Image credit: Getty Images
Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida)
The absence of former champion Vincenzo Nibali, the injured Domenico Pozzovivo and the out-of-sorts Rohan Dennis means the Belgian all-rounder has a real chance to shine here for Bahrain Merida.
Teuns came close to winning three mountain stages last year – and was top five on five occasions – as he came close but without the cigar. But he managed to light up a Habanos on La Planche des Belles Filles in July's Tour, which will give the 27-year-old the confidence to go all Cuban alongside Ukrainian teammate Mark Padun in Spain.
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Ineos)
A lot has happened since the Briton came 62nd in his debut Vuelta last year. Then, Geoghegan Hart did not finish higher than 18th but a brace of stage wins in April's Tour of the Alps saw the 24-year-old enter the Giro this year as Ineos' leader following Egan Bernal's broken collarbone.
A crash in Stage 13 saw Geoghegan Hart crash out with his own collarbone snap as team-mate Pavel Sivakov rode into the top 10 in his absence. Fifth in the Tour de Pologne suggests a return to form, but Geoghegan Hart still has it all to prove.
With Carapaz joining Ineos next year, opportunities to lead the team will be few and far between. This could be an important opportunity for the promising youngster to ensure he's part of the team's future going forward, although he'll be vying for leadership duties with Dutchman Wout Poels and Spaniard David de la Cruz, a late call up for Ineos after their controversial eleventh-hour snub of Kenny Elissonde.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
The youngest rider by over a year, the Slovenian wunderkind makes his Grand Tour debut for UAE Team Emirates with the weight of expectation on his shoulders. A support role for the 2015 champion Fabio Aru should keep the 20-year-old – already heavily touted as a future Grand Tour champion – out of the spotlight, but his attacking instinct will be hard to curb.
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Pogacar sprints to Stage 6 win in California
After becoming the youngest rider to win a WorldTour stage race at the Tour of California, Pogacar came fourth in the Tour of Slovenia in June. With just the one race – the Clasica San Sebastian, which he did not finish – in the past two months, it's anyone's guess what kind of legs Pogacar has. But it should be thrilling finding out.
Predicted top 10
1. Lopez, 2. Roglic, 3. Quintana, 4. Uran, 5. Valverde, 6. Kruijswijk, 7. Fuglsang, 8. Formolo, 9. Kelderman, 10. Carthy
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