2011_Vuelta_a_España
2011 Vuelta a España
Cycling race
The 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The bicycle race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country. The 33-year absence from the region was due to fear of political protests.[1]
| 2011 UCI World Tour, race 21 of 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 20 August – 11 September | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,300 km (2,051 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 84h 59' 44" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Commentators claimed that it was a race well suited for climbers due to the short time trials and the large number of climbing kilometres. Nine of the twenty-one stages were ranked as Mountain stages, and six of them had a mountain-top finish (including the very steep uphill finish on the Alto de L'Angliru). Two other stages had steep uphill finishes, both of which were won by Katusha leader Joaquim Rodríguez.[2]
This Vuelta saw the introduction of a combativity award, much like that in the Tour de France. The most combative rider in each stage was awarded a red back number which he wore for the next stage.
The victory was originally awarded to Juan José Cobo who had a race-winning margin of just 13 seconds over Briton Chris Froome.[3] Neither rider had been marked as a pre-race favourite, and both had gone to the Vuelta as domestiques for their team leaders: Cobo for Denis Menchov, and Froome for Bradley Wiggins; their team leaders originally finished 5th and 3rd respectively. The race was the first time that two Britons had stood on the podium of a Grand Tour, and Froome's second-place finish was, at the time, the best result in a Grand Tour by a British rider, until Wiggins won the Tour de France the following year. Cobo also won the Combination Classification. The King of the Mountains competition was won for the fourth consecutive time by Frenchman David Moncoutié.[4] The points classification was won by Dutch rider Bauke Mollema who finished 4th overall.
On 13 June 2019, the sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste International (UCI), announced that Cobo had been found guilty of an anti-doping violation, according to findings from his biological passport. As a result, the UCI penalised him with a three-year period of ineligibility. Cobo was officially stripped of the title on 18 June 2019.[5] On 17 July 2019, as the time for Cobo to appeal the decision expired with no application, the UCI announced it recognised Chris Froome as the 2011 champion, making him retroactively the first Briton to win a Grand Tour. Froome was also promoted to the winning position in the combination classification. Wiggins was promoted to runner-up, his second promotion on a Grand Tour podium due to doping, and Mollema was promoted to the podium in third.[6]
Froome, who had in the intervening time finally won the 2017 Vuelta a España, 'on the road', officially received the 2011 winner's trophy at the start of the final stage of the 2020 edition on 8 November 2020, ironically receiving his last of seven Grand Tour prizes for his first Grand Tour victory.[7]
The 18 teams in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Proteam category were obliged to enter the race. Four UCI Professional Continental teams were also invited.[8]
The full list of participating teams is:
†: Invited Pro-continental teams.
2010 winner Vincenzo Nibali came to defend his Vuelta title and was seen as the favourite due to the better time-trial skills than climbers as Igor Antón, Joaquim Rodríguez and Michele Scarponi. Anton was regarded as the strongest climber in the 2010 race[by whom?], but due to a crash he had to withdraw from the race. Ezequiel Mosquera did not start the race, the 2010 runner-up being suspended from racing by his team Vacansoleil–DCM due to an ongoing doping investigation.[9]
Two other Grand Tour winners in the Vuelta peloton were Carlos Sastre (winner of the 2008 Tour de France) and Denis Menchov (two-time winner of the Vuelta and winner of the 2009 Giro d'Italia). Both riders of the Geox–TMC team were looking for better results after disappointing Giro campaigns. Sastre finished in thirtieth place, while Menchov finished eighth. Menchov had allergies and physical problems at the Giro d'Italia and was looking for a third Vuelta win. The Russian could count on one of the best team supports in the mountains with climbers as Sastre, Juan José Cobo and Fabio Duarte.[10]
Other favourites for the podium had had a disappointing Tour de France and were looking to improve in the Vuelta. Janez Brajkovič, Bradley Wiggins and Jurgen van den Broeck crashed out of the Tour in the first week while Andreas Klöden withdrew from the race a week later, also due to injuries of a crash. Wiggins showed good form before the Tour and was seen as a podium candidate for the Tour. His accomplished time-trialling, together with his improved climbing skills, made him a favourite for the Vuelta victory.[11]
Among the top ten contenders were several promising talents, including Dan Martin (winner of the 2010 Tour de Pologne, runner up of the 2011 Tour de Pologne and third overall at the 2011 Volta a Catalunya), Steven Kruijswijk (ninth in the 2011 Giro, third overall and a mountain stage win at the 2011 Tour de Suisse), Bauke Mollema (twelfth at the 2010 Giro d'Italia and fifth overall at the 2011 Tour de Suisse) and Rein Taaramäe (twelfth at the 2011 Tour de France, third overall at the 2011 Critérium International and fourth overall at the 2011 Paris–Nice. Other contenders for the top ten were Garmin's co-leader Christophe Le Mével and Ag2R's Nicolas Roche. [12][13]
The full route for the 2011 Vuelta was unveiled in Benidorm on January 12, 2011. The climbers immediately liked the route of the race with six mountain stages with uphill finishes and another two flat stages with steep uphill finishes.[14] Among the uphill finishes were the infamous Alto de L'Angliru and the climb to the Sierra Nevada. Two finishes were on climbs that have never been featured in the Vuelta before. These are to Estacion de Montaña Manzaneda in Galicia on stage 11 and La Farrapona in the Asturias region on stage 14. Olympic Road Champion Samuel Sánchez pointed out that the lack of Time Trial kilometres make the race very interesting because there are not enough of them for GC riders with good time trialing ability to take advantage for the variety of mountain stages.
It was the first Vuelta since 33 years that visited the Basque Country. The 33-year absence of the region was due to fear of political protests. Separatists of the Basque Country were unhappy with the return of the Vuelta and calling the coming of the Vuelta 'A Waste of Money'.[15] Although the criticism of several Separatists on the route of this year, the organizers of the Vuelta announced on 8 September that the 2012 event will start in the Navarrese city of Pamplona.
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 August | Benidorm | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |  |
Team time trial | Leopard Trek | |
| 2 | 21 August | La Nucía – Playas de Orihuela | 175.5 km (109 mi) |  |
Flat stage |  Christopher Sutton (AUS) | |
| 3 | 22 August | Petrer – Totana | 163 km (101 mi) | |
Flat stage |  Pablo Lastras (ESP) | |
| 4 | 23 August | Baza – Sierra Nevada | 170.2 km (105.8 mi) |  |
Mountain stage | Daniel Moreno (ESP) | |
| 5 | 24 August | Sierra Nevada – Valdepeñas de Jaén | 187 km (116 mi) |  |
Medium mountain stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | |
| 6 | 25 August | Úbeda – Córdoba | 196.8 km (122 mi) | |
Medium mountain stage |  Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| 7 | 26 August | Almadén – Talavera de la Reina | 187.6 km (116.6 mi) | |
Flat stage |  Marcel Kittel (GER) | |
| 8 | 27 August | Talavera de la Reina – San Lorenzo de El Escorial | 177.3 km (110.2 mi) | |
Medium mountain stage | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | |
| 9 | 28 August | Villacastín – Sierra de Bejar. La Covatilla | 183 km (114 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  Dan Martin (IRL) | |
| 10 | 29 August | Salamanca | 47 km (29.2 mi) | |
Individual time trial | Tony Martin (GER) | |
| 30 August | Rest day | ||||||
| 11 | 31 August | Verín – Estación de Esquí Manzaneda | 167 km (104 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  David Moncoutié (FRA) | |
| 12 | 1 September | Ponteareas – Pontevedra | 167.3 km (104.0 mi) | |
Flat stage | Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| 13 | 2 September | Sarria – Ponferrada | 158.2 km (98.3 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  Michael Albasini (SUI) | |
| 14 | 3 September | Astorga – La Farrapona. Lagos de Somiedo | 172.8 km (107.4 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  Rein Taaramäe (EST) | |
| 15 | 4 September | Avilés – Angliru | 142.2 km (88.4 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  Wout Poels (NED)[16] | |
| 5 September | Rest day | ||||||
| 16 | 6 September | Villa Romana La Olmeda (Palencia) – Haro | 188.1 km (116.9 mi) | |
Flat stage |  Juan José Haedo (ARG) | |
| 17 | 7 September | Faustino V (Oyón) – Peña Cabarga | 211 km (131 mi) | |
Mountain stage |  Chris Froome (GBR) | |
| 18 | 8 September | Solares – Noja | 174.6 km (108.5 mi) | |
Medium mountain stage |  Francesco Gavazzi (ITA) | |
| 19 | 9 September | Noja – Bilbao | 158.5 km (98.5 mi) | |
Medium mountain stage | Igor Antón (ESP) | |
| 20 | 10 September | Bilbao – Vitoria-Gasteiz | 185 km (115.0 mi) | |
Medium mountain stage | Daniele Bennati (ITA) | |
| 21 | 11 September | Circuito del Jarama – Madrid | 94.2 km (58.5 mi) | |
Flat stage | Peter Sagan (SVK) | |
| TOTAL | 3319.8 km (2062.8 mi) | ||||||
For details see 2011 Vuelta a España, Stage 1 to Stage 11 and 2011 Vuelta a España, Stage 12 to Stage 21
The Vuelta began with a team time trial in Benidorm. The Leopard Trek squad won this stage. Danish General Classification contender Jakob Fuglsang passed the finish line as first and was the first cyclist to wear the red leaders jersey.[17] Fuglsang lost the leaders jersey after just one day to team-mate Daniele Bennati in a sprinter's stage which was won by Christopher Sutton of Team Sky.[18]
Stage 3 saw the first victory out of a break-away. Out of this break-away it was Pablo Lastras (Movistar Team) who attacked on the last climb and held a small margin until the finish line in Totana. Runner-up of the stage, Sylvain Chavanel (Quick-Step), was the third cyclist who was awarded the red leaders jersey.[19]
No serious attacks were made by the GC contenders on the first mountain stage of the Vuelta. On the climb to the Sierra Nevada it was Daniel Moreno (Team Katusha) who attacked with Chris Anker Sørensen (Saxo Bank–SunGard) and who beat the Danish climber in the sprint. Chavanel was the first rider who was awarded the leaders jersey two days in a row.[20]
Igor Antón (Euskaltel–Euskadi) won in the 2009 Vuelta a España the stage on the steep ascend of Valdepeñas de Jaén. The Basque lost much time on stage 4 and showed no good form in the Vuelta.[21] He couldn't repeat his stage victory. Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha), a specialist on very steep hills, won the stage before the surprisingly strong Dutchman Wout Poels (Vacansoleil–DCM) and team-mate Daniel Moreno. Leader Chavanel lost several seconds but managed to keep the lead in the race.[22]
The Liquigas team of Vincenzo Nibali rode a strong descent in the final of stage 6 and managed to form a small break-away with four Liquigas riders and former stage winner Lastras. From the four Liquigas riders Peter Sagan took his first Grand-Tour victory. Nibali failed to gain bonification seconds due to miscommunication within the team. The 2010 winner took sixteen seconds on his direct concurrents for the overall victory.[23] The next day Sagan sprinted again for the stage victory but couldn't beat German talent Marcel Kittel (Skil–Shimano) in a sprint which was characterized by a huge crash of American sprinter Tyler Farrar (Garmin–Cervélo) in which he didn't suffer any serious injuries.[24]
On 13 June 2019, the UCI announced that Cobo's biological passport had indicated the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the period between 2009 and 2011. He was therefore considered ineligible for results. Cobo had one month to lodge an appeal against the decision.[25] On 17 July 2019, as the time for Cobo to appeal the decision expired with no application, the UCI announced that it recognised Chris Froome as the 2011 champion. Bradley Wiggins was promoted to second place, and Bauke Mollema promoted to third.[6]
General classification
| Rider | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan José Cobo (ESP) |
84:59:31 | ||
| 1 | Chris Froome (GBR)   |
Team Sky | 84:59:44 |
| 2 | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
Team Sky | + 1' 26" |
| 3 | Bauke Mollema (NED)  |
Rabobank | + 1' 50" |
| 4 |  Denis Menchov (RUS) |
Geox–TMC | + 3' 35" |
| 5 |  Maxime Monfort (BEL) |
Leopard Trek | + 4' 00" |
| 6 | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) |
Liquigas–Cannondale | + 4' 18" |
| 7 | Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL) |
Omega Pharma–Lotto | + 4' 32" |
| 8 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) |
Team Katusha | + 5' 07" |
| 9 | Mikel Nieve (ESP) |
Euskaltel–Euskadi | + 5' 20" |
Points classification
| Rider | Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bauke Mollema (NED) |
Rabobank | 122 |
| 2 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
Team Katusha | 115 |
| 3 | Daniele Bennati (ITA) |
Leopard Trek | 101 |
| 4 | Peter Sagan (SVK) |
Liquigas–Cannondale | 100 |
| DSQ | Juan José Cobo (ESP) |
||
| 5 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | 88 |
| 6 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) |
Team Katusha | 83 |
| 7 | Wout Poels (NED) |
Vacansoleil–DCM | 71 |
| 8 | Dan Martin (IRL) |
Garmin–Cervélo | 70 |
| 9 | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
Team Sky | 69 |
King of the Mountains classification
| Rider | Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Moncoutié (FRA)  |
Cofidis | 63 |
| 2 | Matteo Montaguti (ITA) |
Ag2r–La Mondiale | 56 |
| DSQ | Juan José Cobo (ESP) |
||
| 3 | Dan Martin (IRL) |
Garmin–Cervélo | 33 |
| 4 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) |
Team Katusha | 32 |
| 5 | David de la Fuente (ESP) |
Geox–TMC | 24 |
| 6 | Nico Sijmens (BEL) |
Cofidis | 22 |
| 7 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | 21 |
| 8 |  Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN) |
Saxo Bank–SunGard | 20 |
| 9 | Koen de Kort (NED) |
Skil–Shimano | 19 |
Combination classification
| Rider | Team | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSQ | Juan José Cobo (ESP) |
||
| 1 | Chris Froome (GBR) |
Team Sky | 16 |
| 2 | Bauke Mollema (NED) |
Rabobank | 17 |
| 3 | Daniel Moreno (ESP) |
Team Katusha | 21 |
| 4 | Dan Martin (IRL) |
Garmin–Cervélo | 26 |
| 5 | Wout Poels (NED) |
Vacansoleil–DCM | 38 |
| 6 | Bradley Wiggins (GBR) |
Team Sky | 39 |
| 7 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) |
Team Katusha | 48 |
| 8 | Chris Anker Sørensen (DEN) |
Saxo Bank–SunGard | 51 |
| 9 | Denis Menchov (RUS) |
Geox–TMC | 52 |
Team classification
| Pos. | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geox–TMC |
254h 32′ 28" |
| 2 |  Leopard Trek |
+ 10′ 19" |
| 3 | Euskaltel–Euskadi |
+ 16′ 44" |
| 4 | Team Katusha | + 43' 18" |
| 5 | Ag2r–La Mondiale |
+ 43′ 27″ |
| 6 | Rabobank |
+ 54′ 32″ |
| 7 |  Astana |
+ 58′ 56″ |
| 8 | Liquigas–Cannondale |
+ 1h 01′ 51" |
| 9 | Movistar Team |
+ 1h 05′ 11″ |
| 10 | Team Sky |
+ 1h 09′ 45″ |
The UCI disqualified Juan José Cobo and Carlos Barredo from the race. If you ignore them in the daily results, Geox–TMC would drop to 3rd place, Rabobank would end up 13th, and Team RadioShack would be 10th.
World rankings points
The Vuelta was one of 27 events throughout the season that contributed points towards the 2011 UCI World Tour. Points were awarded to the top 20 finishers overall, and to the top five finishers in each stage. Only riders on UCI ProTour teams were eligible to receive rankings points, so winner Juan Cobo was not rewarded in this table.[26]
- "Vuelta heads to Basque Country after 33-year absence". Cyclingnews.com. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- Alasdair Fotheringham (2011-01-12). "Climbers set to dominate in 2011 Vuelta". Cyclingweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- "Cobo celebrates his Vuelta win in Madrid". Cycling News. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- "Moncoutié seals fourth Vuelta mountains title". Cycling News. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- "Juan José Cobo has been stripped of his 2011 Vuelta a España title after being found guilty of doping". cyclingnews.com. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- "Chris Froome named winner of 2011 Vuelta a Espana". Cycling News. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "Chris Froome awarded 2011 Vuelta a España trophy". 8 November 2020.
- "Vuelta a España wildcards announced". Cyclingnews.com. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- "Vacansoleil keeps Mosquera out of Vuelta". Cyclingnews.com. 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Peter Cossins (2011-08-02). "Menchov aiming for third Vuelta victory". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Daniel Benson (17 August 2011). "Vuelta top ten contenders". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Daniel Benson (17 August 2011). "Martin keeps Vuelta a España ambitions in check". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Pierre Carrey (2011-08-20). "Le Mével targets Vuelta a España top ten". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Stephen Farrand (2011-01-12). "Climbers like mountainous Vuelta a Espana 2011 route". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Pierre Carrey (2011-08-19). "Separatists unhappy about the Vuelta a Espana visiting Basque Country". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- Ballinger, Alex (18 July 2019). "'It's pretty s***': Wout Poels crowned winner of Angliru stage at 2011 Vuelta a España after Juan José Cobo doping revelation". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Leopard Trek claims team time trial". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Sutton speeds to victory in Spain". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Lastras solos to Vuelta stage win". Cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Moreno climbs to stage victory in the Sierra Nevada". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Anton's Vuelta hopes fade". Cyclingnews.com. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Rodriguez powers to stage victory". Cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Sagan leads Liquigas lashing in Córdoba". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- "Farrar unbroken after dramatic Vuelta crash". Cyclingnews.com. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Chris Froome stands to be declared winner of 2011 Vuelta a Espana". cyclingnews.com. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- "Points scale – UCI World Ranking". Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- "2011 UCI World Ranking Detailed Gained Points". Union Cycliste Internationale. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- "UCI World Ranking – 2011". Union Cycliste Internationale. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2011. This update also includes races that took place during the Vuelta, and one that finished a few hours after the Vuelta but on the same day.
