Foreword

 

 

Spain, with 505,000 square kilometres, is one of the biggest countries in Europe, larger than Germany, Italy, Sweden and Norway. It has mountain ranges, coastal plains and beaches, and a climate that can be intolerably hot during summer and brutally cold in winter.

Its people are proud and its history is marked by great discoveries and terrible conflicts.

In short, Spain is a complex country.

It’s also a fiercely sporting nation with millions devoted to soccer (football to Europeans), basketball, handball and, yes, bullfighting.

And to one more sport – cycling.

Its three-week race, the Vuelta a Espaῇa, is one of the great cycling challenges in the world, testing the finest riders to their limit as they compete over terrain that is stunning and rugged. Only the toughest, most talented champions win the Vuelta.

The race has been around since 1935. However, it didn’t always operate during its early years because of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Since 1955, the Vuelta has been held annually.

For its first few decades the Vuelta was held in spring but then it was moved to its current time of late August to mid-September.

That’s when Spain goes through subtle weather changes and when Spaniards put aside summer for thoughts about autumn and the winter ahead.

The Vuelta is all about change. And surprise. And danger.

As Paul Burke, ex-pro bicycle racer and current blogger along the French Riviera, learns when he comes to Spain.