The 36th Edition ''Vuelta a España'' (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

race and one of the three

grand tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...

, was held from 21 April to 10 May 1981. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of , and was won by

Giovanni Battaglin Giovanni Battaglin (born 22 July 1951) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1981 Giro d'Italia, 1981 Giro d'Italia. He also won the 1981 Vuelta a España. Early years Battaglin wa ...

of the cycling team. Regis Clere won the prologue of the race and kept the leader's jersey until the mountain time trial where on the very long climb to Sierra Nevada,

won the stage and took over the leader's jersey. The only threat to Battaglin's lead was Pedro Muñoz. The entire Teka team withdrew from the race withdrawing potential favourites

Marino Lejarreta Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga (born 14 May 1957) is a retired Basque professional road racing cyclist. His biggest victory was capturing the 1982 Vuelta a España, a Grand Tour stage race, and he is the inaugural and record three-time winner of ...

and Alberto Fernández. Battaglin and his Inoxpran team withstood the challenge from the Spanish and brought Battaglin to his first grand tour victory. Three days later after Battaglin's triumph in Spain, he began the

1981 Giro d'Italia The 1981 Giro d'Italia was the 64th running of the Giro. It started in Brescia, on 13 May, with a prologue and concluded in Verona, on 7 June, with a individual time trial. A total of 130 riders from thirteen teams entered the 22-stage rac ...

which he would win becoming the second rider after

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...

to win the Vuelta-Giro double.

Teams and riders

Route

Final standings

General classification

Team classification

Points classification

Mountains classification

Sprints classification

References

;General * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Vuelta A Espana, 1981 1981 in road cycling

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1981 in Spanish sport April 1981 sports events in Europe May 1981 sports events in Europe 1981 Super Prestige Pernod