La Vuelta — Where Drama Lives
Whilst a younger contemporary to the Giro and Tour, La Vuelta has produced more than its fair share of legendary stories.
La Vuelta — Where Drama Lives
A race that always conjures memorable action, searing sunshine and passion on and off the road. Perhaps best summarised by the 1960 edition of the race, when the superstar champion Federico Bahamontes gained time, lost friends and then his head when he battered a fan with an umbrella.
The 1960 Vuelta a España was less about cycling heroics and more about pure, unfiltered chaos. The race was packed with drama; fistfights, betrayals, and vendettas that turned the event into an unpredictable spectacle. At the centre of it all was Federico Bahamontes, Spain’s celebrated Tour de France champion, whose arrogance and eccentricity made him both adored and despised. Tensions ran high within his own Faema team, as riders and even his director openly refused to support him. Meanwhile, breakaways were happening on an unprecedented scale, allowing lesser-known riders to seize control of the race amid unlikely time gaps, sometimes measured in hours! The result was an unpredictable race that captured the imagination of fans at every twist and turn.
The race reached its boiling point when Bahamontes, angered by the disqualification of his teammate, staged a protest by deliberately losing time. This act of defiance enraged some spectators, leading to insults, fights, and ultimately, a now-infamous brawl where Bahamontes attacked the crowd with his bicycle pump. Bahamontes was rightly expelled for his passionate outburst, leaving only 26 riders still in the race, in what had become one of the most controversial and unforgettable editions of the Vuelta — a race defined not by its victor, but by its sheer, unrelenting madness.
Subsequent editions of the race have been less controversial but no less dramatic. La Vuelta is a race that inspires drama, from the abandonment of David Millar to the victory of Sepp Kuss. For cycling fans it’s a feast for the eyes, played out in sizzling sunshine and punctuated by enjoyable local cuisine and sangria.
Join us this September as we get you closer to the action as the Official Tour Operator to Le Vuelta. A bucket list trip for avid cycling fans and cyclists who love a challenge.
