The Spanish Road Race championships will be held on the World Championships course in Ponferrada. This will give riders such as Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde, Joaquim Rodriguez, Samuel Sanchez, Mikel Nieve and defending champion Jesus Herrada among others a chance to test their legs on the hilly but not too tricky course before the World Championships in September.

Spanish Federation (RFEC) president José Luis López Cerrón and Ponferrada Mayor Samuel Folgueral announced on Thursday that the courses would be the same.

“It will be a test for Spanish riders ahead of their participation in the World, as well as to gauge the organizational details Ponferrada in a previous competition, such as road closures and other aspects."

Many people expect the race to be won by a sprinter for the Classics (Sagan, Gilbert, Valverde) rather than a climber.

The rest of the world too will watch the Spanish championships with great interest and it may play a role in which riders are selected by each nation for the race depending on how the race is played out and who wins it or makes the final selections.

The Spanish Champs take place between the 26th and 29th of June and the Worlds Road Race is on the 28th of September.