Organizational Meeting to Restructure the Vuelta a Andalucía
The organization of the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía, which includes Marbella’s Luis Ángel Maté, had planned to start this past Wednesday with five stages. However, it has been reduced to three days and will now take place from Friday to Sunday.
Reason for the Change
The inability to have the necessary personnel from the Civil Guard Traffic, who are occupied with farmers’ protests, has prompted the change. The Andalusian round could not start and had to be reorganized on the fly to save this edition, which was to be contested over five days, from Wednesday to Sunday. In the end, the first two stages were cancelled due to the lack of necessary personnel from the Civil Guard.
First Stage of the Race
After the meeting between the organization, technical jury, and team directors, the first stage will be this Friday, February 16, with a time trial in Alcaudete (Jaén). It will be held on a short circuit of five kilometers in this town.
Second Stage of the Race
The second stage will take place on Saturday, February 17, between Lucena and the Alto de Nuestra Señora de Araceli, on Cordoba roads, with a 100-kilometer route and a cumulative elevation gain of 2,000 meters. The spectacular finish witnessed the victory of Alejandro Valverde in 2012, Javier Pascual Llorente in 2003, and Marcelino García in 1998.
Final Stage of the Race
Pending news about the development of the protests, the route of the last stage will be decided on Sunday, February 18. A route between the towns of Benahavís (Málaga) and La Linea de la Concepción (Cádiz) was planned, which is expected to be covered as planned in the route book. If this is not possible, the organization has a plan B.
Participation of Luis Ángel Maté
Marbella’s Luis Ángel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi) will be participating in the Vuelta a Andalucía, which he will compete in for the last time. This is the race where he practically debuted as a professional cyclist in 2008.
