Alongside Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España is one of the most important cycling events in the world. This fascinating competition is overflowing with heroic feats and high-stakes drama. Moreover, as the final grand tour on the professional calendar, there’s another critical aspect to the event; it represents the last great opportunity for an ambitious cyclist to make an impact on the world stage – or bounce back from a disappointing season.

However, whether a participant is a promising young talent or a seasoned professional (who’d like to settle old scores), that doesn’t mean the organisers of La Vuelta are going to make it easy for them. Unpredictability and a willingness to experiment characterise the event. Recent years have seen shorter stages, steep climbs, and unpredictable terrain as the peloton approaches the finish line. In short, anything can happen.

It will be the second year that we are an official sponsor. And seven of the 22 World Tour teams will compete using racing tyres from the Competition Pro LTD series. Handmade with care and dedication at the Continental factory in Korbach, Germany, these racing tyres offer impressively low rolling resistance plus high grip and puncture resistance.

Last year will remain for history as the finishing touch to the great British year in cycling. United Kingdom triumphed in the three big laps and did it with three different cyclists: Chris Froome, in Italy; Gerraint Thomas, in France; and Simon Yates, in Spain. The Mitchelton Scott runner wore red for the first time in La Covatilla, recovered it in Les Praeres and kept it up to La Gallina. 

The wheels of the pro riders aren’t the only tyres emblazoned with the yellow Continental logo. The official La Vuelta vehicles for the race director, medical staff, timekeeper, and service are also equipped with special-edition motorbike and passenger car tyres from Continental, like the PremiumContact 6. The drivers of the official vehicles at La Vuelta have a highly demanding job, and the braking ability of their tyres is of paramount importance. That's why they rely on Continental tyres to ensure safety for both cars and bicycles at the event.

With Continental’s sponsorship of La Vuelta, the goal is not just to showcase our high-performance tyres but also to focus attention on our Vision Zero initiative – a world without road fatalities and accidents. In this context, the race is an ideal opportunity to promote greater mutual respect between vehicle drivers and cyclists so they can share the road safely. Campaigns to “stay wider of the rider” with a distance of 1.5-meters are already gaining traction in Spain, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.

The route

Running from Saturday August 24th to Sunday September 15th 2019, the Vuelta will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,272 kilometres.

• 6 flat stages
• 4 hilly stages
• 9 mountain stages
• 1 individual time-trial stage
• 1 team time-trial stage
• 2 rest days