PCT

Sources Confirm a Two-Week Vuelta in 2011

August 21, 2009 by admin

Get ready for the new type of grand tour….the baby grand.  What is a baby grand?  A baby grand is what the Vuelta de Espana will be starting as early as 2011.  For a variety of reasons the Vuelta will change to a 2-week format.  The race will begin on a Sunday and end on a Sunday with one rest day on the second Monday.  Is this just rumor?  No, this change has been confirmed through a source at ASO, part owner of the Vuelta.  In the words of this high ranking ASO official,

“There is only so much room on the calendar for 3-week stage races.  There are currently too many. When you have so many grand tours, riders and teams are more likely to use doping to make it through such a long season.” 

The source at ASO made it clear that if he had his preference, the Tour de France would be the only remaining 3-week race, while all other races would be capped at 2-weeks. 

Another factor in reducing the Vuelta to 2-weeks is television coverage.  The main broadcaster in Europe for the Vuelta has been Eurosport.  The acquisition manager at Eurosport confirmed to us that they don’t have much interest in clogging up their airwaves with 3 weeks of the Vuelta.  He said:

“The Vuelta often goes through uninteresting, baron terrain with few spectators.  It makes for boring coverage.  We are committed to being the leader in cycling, so we will continue coverage. We would be very open to the idea of one less week, so we could devote more time to more interesting programming.” 

So, all the weight in the world of cycling is pushing down on the Vuelta de Espana.  When all is said and done, there will be a 2-week race in 2011, and there will likely be just as little interest in the race as there is today.