It's time for one of the most important build-up weeks of the cycling season, with the next few days offering no less than four stage races that will form a key part of the preparation that shall see classics and stage race riders hit peak condition for the months of March and April. One of the options for the world's best cyclists is to head to Andalusia for the Ruta del Sol which offers five days of mountainous racing under usually sunny conditions and for its 61st edition, the organizers have attracted an incredible line-up that is led by grand tour stars Alberto Contador and Chris Froome.

 

The month of February may not offer the most prestigious bike races on the calendar but the final winter month plays a crucial role for every ambitious cyclist. With the first big races coming up in March and the cycling season having really ramped up in the last few weeks, it is now time to get in the racing miles that will allow the riders to hit their best form for the races that really matter.

 

Hence, it is no wonder that the month of February is littered with stage races in Southern Europe and the Middle East and they offer the riders the chance to test their legs and get in quality racing under reasonable weather conditions. Next week plays a special role as it offers the final chance for the riders to do some racing ahead of the Belgian opening weekend.

 

In the past, all riders headed to Southern Europe for those important early-season kilometres. With races like Etoile de Besseges, Tour Mediateraneen, and the Tour du Haut-Var, France had a lot to offer, Portugal had the Volta a Algarve, and Spain and Italy both had a nice series of short stage races that worked as solid preparation.

 

In recent years, the economic crisis has had its clear effect on the racing scene. While the wealthy Middle East now offers a very well-organized and attractive block of racing with the Dubai Tour, the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman, several European races have disappeared. Italy no longer plays host to a stage race before Tirreno-Adriatico and this year the Tour Mediteraneen disappeared too. The Spanish scene has been hit hard by the difficult times as the Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana no longer exists and the Vuelta a Murcia is now just a one-day race.

 

This leaves only one Spanish stage race in the early part of the season and it is one of only very few Spanish races that seems to thrive. While the race in Murcia and Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid are now one-day races (the latter should again be a stage race in 2015), several classic races like Settimana Catalana and Euskal Bizikleta have disappeared, the Vuelta a Asturias has been shortened and was cancelled in 2014, and the WorldTour Volta a Catalunya and Vuelta al Pais Vasco are all in a constant battle for survival but the Vuelta a Andalusia Ruta Ciclista del Sol remains as a perfect option for some early-season racing.

 

In fact, it is an impressive performance for the organizers to have kept the race afloat. Scheduled for the third week of February, it finds itself in fierce competition with the Tour of Oman, the Volta ao Algarve and the Tour du Haut-Var that all battle for the participation from the world's best riders. Nonetheless, the Andalusian race managed to go back to a 5-day format after having been briefly shortened to four days and after a few years when they had clearly lost the battle for attention to the races in Oman and Algarve, all eyes will be on Andalusia next week as the race has attracted a line-up that has allowed it to be billed as the first big clash between the grand tour titans.

 

Despite never having done the race before, both Chris Froome and Alberto Contador have decided to get their season underway in Andalusia and when Nairo Quintana also announced the race as the scene of his European debut, the organizers may have had a hard time believing their luck. Unfortunately, a crash at the Colombian national championships have forced Quintana to skip the race but with Contador and Froome both in attendance, the scene is set for a big clash. They won’t have an easy time though as the presence Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Maxime Monfort, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Romain Bardet, Frank Schleck, Bauke Mollema, Haimar Zubeldia, Bent Intxausti, David Arroyo, Wilco Kelderman, Steven Kruijskwijk, Laurens Ten Dam, Daniel Navarro, Janez Brajkovic and Pierre Rolland means the field is stacked with riders who have finished in the top 10 of a grand tour. One can even add the names of Mikel Nieve, Nicolas Roche, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Ivan Basso to that list but those four riders will all be riding in support of Froome or Contador.

 

What makes the race even more exciting is the fact that organizers have designed course that is unusually hard for this time of the year. The routes have been rather varying for the race, with some easier editions even having been won by sprinters, but in recent years it has been a rather mountainous affair and it is no wonder to see several strong stage race riders prefer the Spanish event. This year the riders will face two big summit finishes, a short time trial and three lumpy stages to make it a very testing event and especially the summit finish on the brutal Alto de Hazallanas in stage 3 is a brutal way to start the season.

 

Last year Alejandro Valverde completely crushed the opposition to win the race for the third year in a row. The Spaniard won the opening prologue and extended his lead by winning the two summit finish in dominant fashion before leaving it to the sprinters to battle it out on the final two days. Richie Porte did his best to try to get rid of the home favourite but the Australian had to settle for second while Luis Leon Sanchez completed the podium. None of the riders from the top 3 will be back in 2015 as Valverde has preferred to do the Tour of Oman while Porte will be riding at the Volta ao Algarve. Astana won’t be at the start and so Luis Leon Sanchez will also be riding in Algarve instead.

 

The course

As said, the course for the Vuelta a Andalucia has had a rather varying nature. The Andalusian region has plenty of hilly terrain but at this time of the year, it is important not to make the races too long and too hard. Past editions have been rather easy, with riders like Oscar Freire, Pablo Lastras, Joost Posthuma and Markel Irizar having won editions without uphill finishes.

 

After Irizar's 2011 win, the organizers have made things a bit tougher by including a number of uphill finishes and while they have rarely been overly hard, they have made the race more selective and reduced the importance of the opening prologue that has traditionally kick started the event. In 2015, however, the organizers have bucked the trend by designing an unusually hard course that includes two big summit finishes on stages 3 and 4. It is very unusual for riders to tackle climbs like the Alto de Hazallanas and Alto e Allanadas so early in the year and this will make it the hardest February race for years. Furthermore, a short time trial on a split first day will have an impact on the outcome of the race and there will be very little room for the sprinters to shine. The opening stage may be one for the fast finishers but stage 2 has a tough climb in the finale while stage 5 finishes with a short, steep ramp to the finish. The 2015 Vuelta a Andalucia is definitely one for the climbers.

 

Stage 1a:

The five-day race will kick off with two half-stages on the opening day, with a short, relatively flat stage in the morning and a short time trial in the afternoon. The morning leg brings the riders over 118.3km from La Rabida to Hinojos and should not be too challenging. In fact, it may be the only chance for the sprinters in the entire race but they may still get an unpleasant surprise as there’s a small category 3 climb in the finale and a slightly ascending finish.

 

The first half of the stage is almost completely flat and consists of a run along the coast but things get harder as they approach the finish and turn inland. Instead of going straight to Hinojos, the riders will do a small loop around the city to go up a few small climbs. After 80km of racing, they go up a small uncategorized hill but the real challenges start at the 100km mark. Here the riders first tackle another uncategorized ascent before they descend to the bottom of the category 3 Alto de Chucena (1.7km, 2.4%).

 

The summit comes with just 9.6km to go and they mainly consist of a fast descent. The final 2.5km, however, are a bit tricky as they are slightly uphill with two small descents in between the rising sections. However, the gradients are very easy and should pose no problem for the sprinters. Just after the 2km mark, the riders will tackle three turns in quick succession but from there the road only turns slightly to the left until the riders hit the 400m finishing straight that is only 5m wide.

 

The stage may have a bit of climbing in the finale but the gradients are very easy and they should do nothing to challenge the kind of strong sprinters that have lined up for this race. They won’t get many opportunities in this race and so this stage is destined to end in a bunch sprint. With the finishing straight being very narrow, positioning will be very important while the slightly ascending roads suit the powerful sprinters. 

 

 

Stage 1b:

The sprinters are likely to have taken the spotlight in the morning but in the afternoon it is time for the GC riders to have their first small battle. The usual prologue may have been abandoned but the riders still have to tackle a short time trial on the opening day and it will give the key contenders a first opportunity to gain a few seconds over the rivals.

 

The stage takes place in Coria del Rio and at just 8.2km, it is a pretty short affair. However, it is no straightforward affair as the riders will tackle a short circuit in the city and the organizers have made it pretty challenging by including several turns that will make it very technical.

 

The first 2.5km are completely flat as the riders roll along the shores of the Guadalquivir river but as they turn left, they will go up a short 300m climb with an average gradient of 6.3%. That is follow by a gradual descending section with several turns before the roads again get flat. With 2.2km to go, they face a 600m climb with an average gradient of 3% before they make a very sharp turn at the top to descend back to the river. From there they will follow flat road back to the finish, with three turns breaking the monotony.

 

With several turns in such a short distance and two short climbs, this stage is more for the explosive puncheurs with good technical skills than for real time trial specialists. The time differences are unlikely to be very big as the distance is pretty short but it will offer the GC riders a chance to deal their rivals a mental blow already on the first day.

 

 

Stage 2:

The sprinters should be back in the spotlight for stage 2 but they need to make the maximum of the opportunity as it will be their final chance in the race. The final three stages all have summit finishes and so it will all be about survival for the fast finishers in the final part of the race. However, the stage has a nasty sting in its tail that may prove to be a challenge for some of them.

 

The stage brings the riders over 191.7km from Utrera to Lucena and most of the stage is pretty easy. It brings the riders in an easterly direction for most of the day and after a completely flat first third, the terrain gets slightly hillier. However, there are no major challenges and unless the wind Is blowing hard, the first 171.9km should be pretty easy.

 

At this point, the riders will cross the finish line to start a lap of a 19.8km finishing circuit on the hilly southern outskirts of the finishing city. In the first part, the road is gradually ascending and lead to the bottom of the Alto de la Primera Cruz (2.6km, 6.5%). This will provide a stern test for the sprinters and there won’t be much time to get back in contention. The summit comes with 9km to go and they consist of a fast descending and slightly descending roads back to the finish.

 

The finale will see the riders turn left with 2.3km to go and then make another left-hand turn 800m further down the road. The final challenge is a right-hand turn in a roundabout with 600m to go and the final 400m are completely straight on a 6m wide road. After the slight descent, the final 1300m are slightly uphill with an average gradient of 2.4%.

 

The sprinting field in this race is not very big but there are a couple of fast finishers who will relish their chance to go for the win. Of course they are all pretty solid climbers too and most of them excel in this kind of tough finish. Some of the fast finishers may get dropped on the final climb but with lots of riders interested in a bunch sprint, it is hard to imagine that they won’t get their chance to sprint on the tough uphill finishing straight.

 

Lucena has often hosted a stage finish in this race but until now it has always finished at the top of the short climb to the Santuario de Araceli. Alexandr Shefer won the stage in 2001 while Javier Pascual Llorente was the strongest in 2003. In 2012, Alejandro Valverde took a comfortable victory in an uphill sprint that suited him down to the ground.

 

 

Stage 3:

After the opening travails, the GC riders face their big day on Friday when they tackle the queen stage of the race. The short 157.6km stage from Motril to the top of the Alto de Hazallanas may not be overly challenging for a big part of the day but the finale is simply brutal. The final climb made its cycling debut at the 2013 Vuelta a Espana where Chris Horner laid the foundations for his overall victory by taking a dominant solo victory and its brutally steep slopes makes it an unprecedented challenge at this early time of the year.

 

The riders will start in Motril on the Mediterranean coast and the first part of the stage consists of a flat run along the seafront. After 18.1km, they will head inland to go up the category 1 Puerto de la Cabra (26.2km, 4.6%) which is a brutally long but not very steep climb. From there, they head in a westerly direction to go up the category 2 Alto del Lucero (5.1km, 6.3%) before they descend onto flat roads that lead them in a northeasterly direction to the big city of Granada.

 

Having left the city zone, the riders continue along flat roads as they head towards the main challenge. The Alto de Hazzallanas is 16.6km long and has an average gradient of 5.1% but one should not be fooled by the numbers. The first 8km are pretty easy with a maximum gradient of just below 7% and even contains a small descent. However, the final 8km are simply brutal as the gradient stays above the 10% mark – including an 18% section – before it finally gets a bit easier for the final 2km where the gradient is only around 7%. The KOM points will be given with 100m to go and from there the final part is flat. There are several hairpin turns on the climb but the final 1km is mostly straight with just a 90-degree turn coming 200m from the line.

 

This stage is likely to be decisive for the overall classification as it is by far the hardest of the race. There may be another summit finish coming up but the Alto de Hazallanas is so incredibly steep that it has the potential to create enormous time differences – especially at this time of the year. The brutal slopes will be the scene of the first big battle between the likes of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador and allow one of them to deal their rival a major blow.

 

The Alto de Hazallanas has only featured once in a major bike race when Horner won that memorable stage in the 2013 Vuelta.

 

 

Stage 4:

There will be no time to rest for the GC contenders in this year’s race as stage 4 offers another tough summit finish. The alto de las Allanadas may not be as tough as the Hazallanas but it comes at the end of a long day in the saddle and it is still a brutally hard climb. At this point of the year, two hard stages in a row could be too much for some of the key contenders.

 

At 199.8km, it is the longest stage of the race and it brings the riders from Maracena to the top of the Alto de Las Allanadas. After a flat start, the riders head straight up the category 3 Alto Puerto Lope (6.1km, 4.3%) whose summit comes after just 14.6km of racing. From there, they continue in a northwesterly direction along gradually descending roads but along the way, they will tackle a number of smaller climbs, including the category 3 Alto de Noguerones (1.2km, 6.9% and Alto de Albendin (2km, 5.7%).

 

From there, the terrains gets flatter as they continue in a northerly direction along rolling roads before they change direction to head towards the southeast and the finishing climb. Now the road is gradually ascending but it will be no big challenge. With 4.4km to go, they hit the decisive ascent which has an average gradient of 10.4% and this is where the big battle will play out. The climb is a pretty regular affair that leaves no room for recovery. There are a few hairpin bends along the way but the final 2km are mostly straight, with just a sharp 90-degree turn 200m from the line. Those final 200m have a gradient of 11.5%, meaning that the climb is brutal right until the finish.

 

The final climb may not be as tough as the Hazallanas but is so tough that it would have been worthy of a queen stage finish in almost every other race. It is pretty short but the steep gradients mean that the time differences can be surprisingly big. The shorter distance means that it may suit the punchier guys a bit better but in the end, the strongest rider is likely to come out on top. Depending on the outcome of stage 3, there may be a chance that a strong breakaway can stay away as bigger time gaps have now opened up.

 

The climb was last used in 2010 when Sergio Pardilla won the opening stage of the race on its tough slopes, distancing Jurgen Van Den Broeck by 7 seconds and Damiano Cunego by 13 seconds.

 

 

Stage 5:

If the riders had hoped for an easy end to the race, they will be disappointed to learn that the organizers have found another summit finish for the final day. This time, however, the final climb is not a big mountain and instead it is a short, steep ramp that suits the puncheurs.

 

The stage brings the riders over 169.8km from Montilla to Alhaurin de la Torre on the western outskirts of Malaga. It mainly consists of a long southerly run back down to the Mediterranean coast. The first part is rolling but there are no major climbs. After 100km of racing, the riders do a small loop to go up the category 3 Alto de los Embalses (1.7km, 4.9%) before they continue their journey towards the coast. From there, the roads are gradually descending until they reach the flat final 35km.

 

The flat terrain continues all the way to the flamme rouge where the riders turn right to hit the final climb. At 1.1km, it has an average gradient of 7.2% but it can be split into two parts. The first 600m only have a gradient of 2.8% but the next 300m are much steeper at a gradient of 21%. The final kilometre is straight until the riders turn left with 200m to go and from there, the 6m wide road is completely flat.

 

Spain is loaded with this kind of steep walls that have often been used for finishes in the Vuelta a Espana and they suit a certain type of riders. Usually Joaquim Rodriguez is unbeatable in this kind of finish and his teammate Daniel Moreno is another rider for this kind of finale. However, none of the really big specialists are in attendance and this should open the door for the GC contenders to battle it out for a few extra seconds. The time differences will of course be pretty small and there is a solid chance that this could be a day for a breakaway to make it to the finish.

 

 

The favourites

The Vuelta a Andalucia has attracted a field that makes it worthy of a grand tour and the course almost makes it comparable to a three-week race. With one stage for the pure sprinters, a short time trial, a classics stage, two big summit finishes and a finish on a steep wall, it has a bit of everything and all kind of riders will find something to their liking in the Andalusian race.

 

As the time trial is very short, however, there is no doubt that the race will be decided in the two summit finishes. Those two climbs are so extremely hard that they can create enormous differences and it will be a surprise if the time trial plays any role at the end of two battles of this kind. The final stage also offers a chance to pick up a few seconds but as the time differences will be small, it is unlikely to play much of a role. There will be no bonus seconds in the race.

 

The two summit finishes are for real climbers as they are both pretty steep. The Allanadas may not be very long but due to its brutal gradients, the puncheurs will have no change. The wind could play a role in some of the stages and things may split up before the climbs but that is unlikely to happen. On the steep climbs, the legs will do the talking and this race will definitely be won by the best climber in the race.

 

This means that it is hard not to see this race as a duel between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador and it will be a surprise if those two riders don’t end up occupying the two top positions in the overall standings. Both of them are making their season debut in the Spanish race and so their condition is uncertain but they are both fierce competitors who are both known for their ability to ride for the win in all the races they do. They are definitely not at their highest level yet but we can expect both of them to start the race at a very high level and even though they will both play down their expectations and make it clear that this race is mostly about preparation they will both be very keen to see how they compare to each other at this time of the year.

 

When they last raced against each other at the Vuelta a Espana, Contador turned out to be the best but back then none of them had had an optimal preparation. This makes it hard to use that race to gauge the climbing hierarchy and it may be more appropriate to look at the Dauphiné where they both lined up in a physical shape that was very close to 100%. Back then, Froome proved that he still has the upper hand. Contador was able to follow his attacks on the Col du Beal but Froome did almost the entire climb in the wind and the Spaniard was only able to hang on by going to the maximum of his capabilities. Later Contador admitted that Froome’s attacks were the most extreme accelerations he had ever seen and it is no coincidence that Contador has later referred to Froome as his biggest rivals ever. Unfortunately, Froome’s crash made it impossible for us to see them battle it out on equal terms in the mountain stages later in the race.

 

The battles last year suggest that Froome is still the best climber in the world but at this point of the year one can’t use a summer race to gauge their chances. At this point of the year, it is more about condition and as none of them have done any racing yet, it is hard to say who is the strongest of the duo. However, a few aspects suggest that Froome should come out on top.

 

First of all Contador has traditionally had a slightly slower start than Froome. While the Brit has won his first race in both 2013 and 2014 – in 2014 he was really in a class of his own – Contador has deliberately tried to start a bit slower. His 2013 season was a disaster and one of the lessons for Contador was that he needed to stay a bit fresher for his key objectives. Hence, he was unable to win his first race last year and even though he won the queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve, he had to settle for second behind Michal Kwiatkowski.

 

Furthermore, Contador is aiming for the Giro-Tour double which means that he has to be very careful. Froome can allow himself to have an early peak in the spring as he won’t do the Giro and this means that he may be at a more advanced level and can go a bit deeper in the race. As usual the Brit has been training in South Africa and he usually comes back to Europe in outstanding condition.

 

Froome will of course have the upper hand in the time trial and even though its technical nature doesn’t suit him very well he should be able to beat Contador by a few seconds. The two summit finishes are both very steep but in the past Froome has proved that he has no reason to fear the very steep gradients. In fact, he only beat Contador twice in last year’s Vuelta and it happened on the two steepest finishing climbs of the race. In fact, the Spaniard has always had a hard time coping with the steepest gradients and it seems that Froome may have the upper hand in this kind of terrain.

 

The combination of overall season planning, tradition for a strong season start, careful preparation and the design of the course means that Froome must be the favourite to win the race. He is supported by a formidable team of climbers that should be able to approach the race in the usual Sky manner and so give their captain the best possible position for a perfect start to the 2015 season.

 

However, Contador will be a fierce competitor and like the Brit, he has a very strong team at his side. The technical nature of the opening time trial means that his time loss will be small and there is a chance that he may be able to take it back on the climbs. Even though we expect the Brit to come out of top, we can expect a fierce battle and a Contador win is definitely a realistic scenario.

 

It is hard to imagine that the winner won’t be one of the two grand tour stars but a third rider may benefit from a situation where they are too equally matched to get rid of each other. While the two main riders look at each other, a third rider may be able to sneak away and it won’t be the first time in the history of cycling if an outsider takes the win by virtue of a tactical battle between the main favourites.

 

The rider who has the biggest chance to create a surprise seems to be Bauke Mollema. The Dutchman has usually been pretty strong in the early part of the season and this year is no exception. In fact, he seems to be riding a bit stronger than he has done in the past and is clearly very keen to prove his worth in his new Trek team.

 

Mollema made his debut in Mallorca where he finished fourth in the first of the two hilly races before he crashed out in the second one. Recently, he finished second in the Vuelta a Murcia where he turned out to be the strongest rider in the group of favourites. The Vuelta a Andalucia will be his first big test and he will be eager to get a major result against this classy competition.

 

Mollema has had a hard time in recent time trials but in the past he has done well on this kind of short, technical race. Furthermore, he usually deals very well with very steep climbs and this means that the two summit finishes should suit him well. With his explosive skills, he will even be one of the favourites to win the final stage and this means that he has all the characteristics to shine in this race.

 

While Mollema has race a lot, Romain Bardet goes into the race with only the GP la Marseillaise in his legs. However, the young Frenchman is always competitive and last year he was riding very strongly at this time of the year. He is very eager to do well in Paris-Nice and everything suggests that he is already at a very advanced level.

 

With very little time trialling, the course suits him perfectly and with Jean-Christophe Peraud being out of form, he will be the clear Ag2r leader. Last year he proved that he is already one of the best climbers in the world and this year he is destined to take another step up. Big things can be expected from Bardet in 2015 and he may kick it all off with a great showing in Andalucia.

 

Another young talent who is destined for big things, is Wilco Kelderman. The Dutchman had an amazing first half of the 2014 season as he finished 7th in the Giro and went on to deliver a very impressive showing in the Daphiné. In the end, the heavy racing burden caught up with him but he should be ready to go again for the 2015 season, with the Tour de France being his big goal.

 

Kelderman hasn’t raced yet and in December he had a setback when he broke his collarbone. However, he has made Paris-Nice his first big goal and this means that he cannot be too far from his best condition. Last year he rode solidly in the Volta ao Algarve at this time of the year and as he will definitely have taken another step up, he should be a contender in Andalusia.

 

2015 is an important year for Jurgen Van Den Broeck who needs to prove that he can still be a real grand tour contender. However, his lack of results is more a result of bad luck and poor health as he still seems to have the skills to mix it up with the best. His poor 2013 was only due to a big crash in the Tour de France which also hampered most of his 2014 spring season. At the Dauphiné, however, he proved that his climbing level still makes him a top contender in the stage races.

 

This year he won’t do the Tour de France and he finds himself under less pressure as he targets the Giro and the Vuelta. He has usually been riding pretty strongly in Andalusia and he has had no injury setbacks during the winter. As he has done no racing yet, nobody knows how he is going but there is no doubt that he can still be among the best in the hardest stage races and he may prove so already in Andalusia.

 

Frank Schleck had a difficult first year back in the peloton after his doping suspension but in the Tour de France he showed signs that he may return to his former level. This year he has been riding very strongly in his first races, making a fabulous comeback from a poor position in the hardest race in Mallorca. However, his most notable performance came in the Vuelta a Murcia where he still managed to hang onto the group of favourites despite having worked hard for Mollema in the headwind on the flats. With only a short time trial, this race suits him well and we would not be surprised to finally see Schleck mix it up in the pointy end of a stage race.

 

Movistar have won this race three times in a row with Alejandro Valverde and they had big hopes that Nairo Quintana would be able to continue their run of success. Those hopes were crushed by Quintana’s unfortunate crash and this means that thy go into the race without a clear leader. However, Benat Intxausti seemed to be riding really well in Mallorca where he covered lots of attacks for Valverde in the summit finish and still had enough left to finish in the top 10. He could only manage 12th in the Vuelta a Murcia but the explosive nature of that race didn’t really suit him. It seems that Intxausti has started his season really strongly and this should make him a contender in this race.

 

Tim Wellens is destined for big things in the future and he has had an amazing start to his 2015 season. In Mallorca he finished second behind the dominant Valverde in the hardest race and this proves that he is already in outstanding condition. Wellens still hasn’t shown that he can mix it up with the best in the high mountains but he took a massive step forward in 2014 and more is to come in 2015. It is time for him to turn into a stage race contender and as he is clearly in very good form, he may prove his skills already in Andalusia.

 

Rodolfo Torres had an amazing start to his season in the Tour de San Luis where he repeatedly distanced Nairo Quintana and finished the race in second overall. He brought his good condition back to Europe as he animated the racing in the GP Costa degli Etruschi which didn’t really suit his skills. Now he will be back in his right terrain and he has clearly improved his climbing level a lot. As he doesn’t seem to slow down yet, he could turn out to be one of the strongest climbers in Andalusia.

 

Another young rider who is knocking on the door for a big breakthrough is Merhawi Kudus. The Eritrean proved his incredible climbing skills in last year’s Route du Sud, Tour of Turkey and Tour de Langkawi but he lacked the consistency to prove it throughout the entire year. This year he seems to have started the season pretty strongly as he followed Valverde in the hardest race in Mallorca until he was dropped on a descent. This race with two very steep summit finishes suits him really well and if he can perform consistently on both days, he should finally be able to show his potential in a race with the best riders in the world.

 

Daniel Navarro had a very mixed 2014 season but he ended the year on a high with a stage win and a top 10 in the Vuelta. The results proved that he is a very capable climber and he has traditionally been very strong at this time of the year. He made his debut in the Vuelta a Murcia where he didn’t shine but the explosive nature of that race didn’t really suit him. He big summit finishes in Andalusia are tailor-made for him and with a few racing days in his legs, he should be able to do well.

 

Steven Kruijswijk finally solved his injury problems in 2014 and he gradually found back to a solid level. He crashed out of the Giro but took a nice top 20 in the Tour despite working as a domestique. In the second part of the year, he won the Arctic Race of Norway and there is a chance that he will finally return to his best in 2015. He is aiming at the Giro and reports from the LottoNL-Jumbo camp is that he is riding well, meaning that he could create a surprise in Andalusia.

 

***** Chris Froome

**** Alberto Contador, Bauke Mollema

*** Romain Bardet, Wilco Kelderman Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Frank Schleck

** Benat Intxausti, Tim Wellens, Rodolfo Torres, Merhawi Kudus, Daniel Navarro, Steven Kruijswijk

* Sebastien Reichenbach, Mikel Nieve, Giovanni Visconti, Gorka Izagirre, Kenny Elissonde, Alexandre Geniez, Maxime Monfort, Bart De Clercq, Jerome Coppel, Laurens Ten Dam, Cyril Gautier, Sergey Firsanov, Marc De Maar, Luis Angel Mate, Janes Brajkovic, Alex Cano