Two tough mountain stage finishes will provide plenty of fireworks at the 39th edition of the Spanish race.
First held in 1946, Vuelta a Burgos has become a regular fixture on the calendar only in 1981 and since then has been used primarily as a tune-up event for the Vuelta a España, scheduled later in the month. This year things won't be any different, as the five-day Burgos will provide a stern test for the riders, with its two mountain top finishes at Picon Blanco (8.5km, 9.1%), which premieres in the race, and Lagunas de Neila (14.8km, 5.2%), scheduled as always on the final stage.
For Julian Alaphilippe, Vuelta a Burgos will be the first stage race since returning to action less than two weeks ago, and the 25-year-old Frenchman – winner of the points and best young rider classification at Paris-Nice in March – will use this opportunity to ease back into racing.
After riding last Saturday's Clasica San Sebastian, Eros Capecchi, David De La Cruz, Enric Mas and Pieter Serry will continue their adventure on Spanish soil, where they'll be joined by Belgian powerhouse Tim Declercq, Matteo Trentin and Martin Velits.
"We come with a strong team again this year, with a mix of riders who can perform on the flat and in the sprints, and riders who are better once the road begins to rise and we head into the mountains. This year, Burgos puts on the table two mountain stages, both finishing with a tough climb, and having good legs there will be very important in order to get a strong result, which we always chase when taking on a race", said Davide Bramati, the team's sport director.
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