National time trial champions Teniel Campbell and Georgia Williams will help anchor the team in the critical opening team time trial, along with Kristen Faulkner who has also enjoyed success in the discipline this season, as the race kicks off with a true team effort in Cantabria.
The opener is then followed up with a tough second stage in the mountains that will further help to define the battle for the GC, but the team is well equipped for everything the race can throw at it.
Australian Alex Manly comes into the race well rested after a successful Tour of Scandinavia, where she finished on the final podium and took a stage win, while climber Ane Santesteban will add to the team’s options in the mid-mountain stages as she races on home soil.
Fellow Aussie Ruby Roseman-Gannon will have her sights firmly set on the fifth and final stage, a circuit in the Spanish capital of Madrid, in which the sprinters will get their chance to shine.
Faulkner will likely assume GC leader status, with her performances this season netting her three stage wins, the mountains classification at the Giro d’Italia Donne and numerous impressive GC and one-day top-10 results.
“With this being the last big tour before the World Championships, I expect riders to be in their best shape, and I expect teams to bring their best climbing line-ups and their best time triallists for the TTT as well,” said Faulkner. “I think we’ll see some really strong rosters.”
Already confirmed for the race are Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), who will attempt to add a Vuelta victory to her Tour de France and Giro overall wins; Olympic road race gold medallist Anna Kiesenhofer (Soltec); Tour of Flanders winner Lotte Kopecky, Tour de France runner-up Demi Vollering, Tour de France young rider jersey winner Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) and perennial contender Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) who is coming off the biggest win of her career at Classic Lorient.
“The climbs aren’t too steep, which could lead to a few different types of riders winning,” said Faulkner, “whether that’s a breakaway or a pure climber attacking. It could be a race of attrition that could go a lot of different ways, and I definitely think the TTT will play a part in the GC.”
BikeExchange-Jayco Sports Director Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas echoed Faulkner’s words, highlighting the race-establishing nature of the opening two stages.
“I think it’s very clear that the time trial will set things up on the GC on day one,” said Gonzalez-Tablas, “but it will all be very clear by day two of the Vuelta, with the Queen stage coming there. It’s all about those first two days, and we’ll take it from there.
“We want to give opportunities to everybody. We have a strong team, with which we can win in different scenarios, so we’re really excited to see what we can do.”
Watch the action from Spain with us as SBS will broadcast the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta from September 8-11 on SBS On Demand with a replay of the stage available a few hours after the conclusion of each raceday.
