After a spectacular Giro d’Italia and an even better Tour de France (both won by Tadej Pogacar, becoming the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete the double), expectations for a Vuelta a España, where Sepp Kuss will defend the 2023 title, are low. The line-up of participants, according to the news that has been filtering in, does not point to be the most exciting.
The Vuelta has long been considered the craziest of the three grand tours, always willing to go further than the Tour and Giro in search of new challenges for the riders and new spectacles for the spectators. The 2024 edition looks set to be no different.
Stage 6 of the 2024 Vuelta a España will be a 185km mountain stage, with a 1st category summit at Puerto del Boyar at the halfway point, followed by three 3rd category climbs at Puerto del Viento, Puerto Martínez and a finish at Alto de las Abajas.
However, it is worth noting that the start of the 6th stage will take place in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, a place that already hosted the start of the 2014 edition, where Movistar Team triumphed in a team time trial in which Jonathan Castroviejo took the red jersey. This time its start will be with an addition as special as it is surreal.
The start of the stage will not take place on the roads of Jerez de la Frontera, but inside a Carrefour supermarket!!!! Carrefour has a long relationship with cycling, especially with the polka dot jersey of the Tour de France.
“Stage 6 of the Vuelta starts INSIDE a Carrefour supermarket. Cats are going to line up in the cereal aisle, next to the Golden Grahams & the Frosties…,” wrote respected cycling journalist Daniel Freibe on his official X (Twitter) account. “I’m not even kidding: the press release just came out.”
According to the official Vuelta website, the city of Jerez de la Frontera “is, without a doubt, one of the world’s great wine capitals. The history and culture of the city would not be what they are today without the characteristic element of this wine region, which is present in the famous Feria del Caballo festivities.”
The image of the current Vuelta champion, Sepp Kuss, fully equipped and on the bike next to the box will probably be a curious image. And what will Lidl-Trek have to say about all this?
Source: www.ciclismoaldia.es