Each year I make the same Adam Hansen joke and fail to drink the wines of the Vuelta. This year, because of a decision made while suffering from Tour induced sleep deprivation, I am drinking what we could call a "half-Vuelta." I'll not have a wine for every stage. but thanks to the help of Christy at Frankly Wines, I have ten bottles lined up for stages during the race. Which is more than the seven I originally intended, but I sometimes get carried away.
For those not as obsessed with professional cycling as I am, the Vuelta is the third and final three week Grand Tour of the season. I admit that in my mind it has always been third : I love the (usual) excitement of the Giro and the Tour is, well, the grandest of the three. The Vuelta is poorly televised in the US (Dear Comcast: Why can I not have Universal Sports again?) and hits right at that back to school rush time of year. So I have watched, but with far less intensity than the other two races.
It may also be that I know far less about Spain and the Spanish wine than I do about Italy and France. So I am looking forward to learning something during this project.
About this year's race:
Running from Saturday August 23rd to Sunday September 14th 2014, the Vuelta will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3181,5 kilometres (before ratification).
5 flat stages
13 hill and mountain stages
1 team time trial stage
2 individual time trial stages
Distinctive aspects of the race
12,6 kilometres team time trial stage
44,5 individual time trial stages
40 summits
The route:
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