With the Vuelta a Andalucia having attracted a line-up that is worthy of a grand tour, all eyes will be on Spain in the coming week. Before we get to the stage racing, however, some of the riders will test themselves in a pair of one-day races and while the climbers will have their say in Saturday’s Vuelta a Murcia, the sprinters will come to the fore for Sunday’s Clasica de Almeria.

The rich Spanish racing scene has been reduced to almost nothing and most of the stage races that once littered the calendar, have disappeared. However, the country has never been too interested in one-day racing and it is no coincidence that most of their biggest riders have been stage race specialists. This means that the one-day scene has never been very big and in fact, the sprint race Clasica de Almeria has been the only major race outside of the Basque Country for several years.

While the stage races have had a hard time the last few years, the Almeria race has managed to survive the tough economic times. Traditionally it has been held on the same Sunday as the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in between the stage races in Andalucia, Valenciana and Murcia and has offered the riders a chance to keep going between the major events.

After the Vuelta a Murcia has been reduced to a one-day race, the organizers have teamed up with the Murcian race which is now held on the Saturday before the Clasica de Almeria, thus offering the riders a solid weekend of racing in Spain. Until now, they have been held after the Vuelta a Andalucia – the only survivor among the early-season Spanish stage races – but for this year’s edition, the two events have been moved to the weekend prior to the Andalusian race, thus making it a perfect warm-up for the main event of the early Spanish calendar.

In many ways, the Clasica de Almeria is an unusual Spanish race. It is both a one-day race and it doesn’t suit the climbers who have traditionally dominated the Spanish races. Even though there are a few climbs on the menu, it usually comes down to a bunch sprint. As the Vuelta a Murcia is a hilly affair, it means that the weekend of Spanish one-day races now has a bit for everyone: the climbers will get their chance in Murcia while the sprinters come to the fore in Almeria.

The course

Clasica de Almeria has traditionally been a race for sprinters who can survive the potentially windy conditions and the climbs at the midpoint of the race and even though the organizers have changed the course completely compared to last year’s race, the main characteristics remain.

This year the distance is 185.9km and as usual, the race both starts and finishes in the city of Almeria. Usually, the riders have had a flat section at the start but this year the terrain gets hillier right from the start. The road is slightly ascending for more than 30km as the riders head into the hills before a rolling section leads to the first categorized climbs, the category 3 Alto del Collado de Lubrin (1.5km, 1.7%) and Alto de El Chive, which come after around 70km of racing. A long descent now leads to the an uncategorized ascent and the hardest challenge, the category 2 Alto de Lucainena (2.6km, 5.0%). At the top of the latter, the riders are still 70km from the finish in Almeria and they consist of a long, gradual descent and 40 flat kilometres in the end.

The favourites

Many riders do both the Vuelta a Murcia and the Clasica de Almeria but the line-up still has a markedly different feel. While many of the climbers will take a well-deserved rest to prepare for the Vuelta a Andalucia, the sprinters all skipped the race in Murcia to be ready for their highlight: Sunday’s race in Almeria. This means that most of the teams have substituted one or two climbers with fast finishers and lead-out men to be ready for the flatter course in Almeria.

This means that most teams go into this race with the plan to set up a bunch sprint and very often that is enough to make it come down to that outcome. The major teams will mostly be riding to bring it back together for the fast finishers to battle it out and that tips the balance towards the sprinters.

In the past, it has been possible for one or more teams to ride very fast up the climbs and so get rid of some of the sprinters but this year the amount of climbing is not very big. As the sprinters in this race all climb solidly, it is hard to imagine that anyone will be dropped on the ascents. The main challenge has often been the wind but as Sunday is set to a beautiful sunny day with barely any wind, it will be hard to use the exposed plains to create a selection.

The race has been decided in a bunch sprint every year since 2007 and it is hard to imagine that it will be any different in 2015. The easy climbing and the nice weather should make it a pretty controlled affair with an early breakaway that will be caught in time for the sprinters to battle it out in Almeria.

The main reason for this is the fact that Etixx-QuickStep plan to line up a formidable sprint team that is led by Mark Cavendish. The Brit hasn’t done the race since 2010 when he was surprisingly beaten by Theo Bos and now he wants to add the Spanish race to his palmares as he continues his build-up to Milan-Sanremo. He will be supported by the excellent lead-out train of Mark Renshaw and Fabio Sabatini and that combination proved its strength in the Dubai Tour where Cavendish won two stages and the overall.

The Arabic race both proved that Cavendish is riding really well at the moment and that the Etixx-QuickStep lead-out already works well. The line-up in Almeria may not be quite as strong as the one for Dubai but on paper, the Belgian team should be in a class of its own if it comes down to a sprint finish. Cavendish is definitely the fastest rider in the field and as he can expect to be delivered in a good position, he is the obvious favourite.

The rider who can produce a surprise is Juan Jose Lobat. The Spaniard has been riding extremely well all year, being consistently among the best in the Tour Down Under and finishing third overall in the Dubai Tour. In the final stage of the latter race, he was not too far behind Cavendish as he came home in third.

The first few races have proved that Lobato is sprinting exceptionally well but they have also revealed his weakness. The Spaniard often has to start his sprint from a very poor position and that has made it impossible for him to profit from his great speed. In Almeria, however, the sprinting line-up is not at the same level as it was in Australia and Dubai and this means that he will have an easier time in the fight for position. That may give him the chance to finally beat Cavendish.

In 2014, Alexander Porsev took a major step up and he has apparently continued his progress in 2015. In his first race in Dubai, he finished fourth in the first two bunch sprints despite not having a lead-out at his disposal. However, he often came very fast from far back to finish among the best and this proves that he has the speed to challenge Cavendish. In this race, he can count of Rudiger Selig to set him up for the sprint and this should give him a clear advantage.

Tyler Farrar hopes to reinvigorate himself at MTN-Qhubeka and even though he will no longer be the main sprinter in the team, he will still get his chances. The Clasica de Almerica should be one of those opportunities. He seemed to be riding really well in the Herald Sun Tour where he mixed it up in a breakaway and finished second behind Caleb Ewan in the only sprint he did. In fact, he seemed to get back to a solid level in 2014 and even won a stage of the Tour of Beijing at the end of the year. He would love to start his year with a big win in Almeria and he will definitely be a contender.

Davide Appollonio will be eager to prove that he deserves to return to the highest level after he has stepped down to pro continental level with Androni-Venezuela. He got his season off to a bad start as he crashed in the GP Costa degli Etruschi but he will be keen to get his revenge in Almeria. He may not be the fastest sprinter but he usually positions himself really well and he is very strong when the sprint comes after a day with a bit of climbing. For him to win, things have to fall into place but he is definitely a podium contender.

Francesco Lasca had an injury-filled 2014 season but he has always been strong in the Spanish one-day races. This race may have a stronger line-up than usual and so he won’t have his usual role of favourite but he has an intimate knowledge of the race. His season didn’t start well in Mallorca but here the sprinting field is less stacked and this should make it easier for him to start the sprint from a good position and so profit from his fast speed.

Marc Sarreau is making his pro debut this year and he showed his talent when he finished fifth in a stage of the Etoile de Besseges. Riding as a stagiarie, he finished second in a stage of the 2014 Tour de l’Ain and this also underlines his skills as a sprinter. He will be the FDJ leader for this race and even though he doesn’t have an awful lot of experience, the less stacked sprinting field should make it easier for him to position himself.

Unitedhealthcare have a very strong lead-out train and they recently proved their firepower in the Dubai Tour. For this race, they are even stronger as they now have lead sprinter Ken Hanson at their disposal. The American may have had a hard time in the European races but in this race he can rely on one of the strongest teams. If they are still at their Dubai level, Hanson may create a surprise.

Riders like Kenneth Vanbilsen, Lloyd Mondory, Eugenio Alafaci, Tony Hurel, Sondre Holst Enger and Edward Theuns are all fast but they will have a hard time going up against the fastest sprinters in this race. The win is probably beyond their reach but if they can position themselves reasonably for the sprint, they may finish on the podium.

***** Mark Cavendish

**** Juan Jose Lobato, Alexander Porsev

*** Tyler Farrar, Davide Appollonio, Francesco Lasca

** Marc Sarreau, Phil Bauhaus, Ken Hanson, Sondre Holst Enger, Edward Theuns, Lloyd Mondory, Kenneth Vanbilsen, Tony Hurel

* Eugenio Alafaci, Fabio Silvestre, Daniele Ratto, Robert Förster, Grega Bole, Bartlomiej Matysiak, Julien Simon, Bert Van Lerberghe, Amaury Capiot, Oscar Gatto