The 44th Edition ''Vuelta a España'' (Tour of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

), a long-distance

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

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 3

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 April 24 to May 15, 1989. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of , and was won by

Pedro Delgado Pedro Delgado Robledo (; born 15 April 1960), also known as Perico (), is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989. Delgado is 171 centimetres tall (5& ...

of the

Reynolds Reynolds may refer to: Places Australia *Hundred of Reynolds, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Hundred of Reynolds (Northern Territory), a cadastral unit in the Northern Territory of Australia United States * Reynolds, Mendocino County, Calif ...

cycling team A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...

. The route was released on January 21, 1989.

had won the previous

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

and was seen as the favourite for the race. Delgado came with a Reynolds team that contained

Miguel Indurain --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disam ...

, who had just won

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

and was also seen as a potential favourite. The first few days of the race saw the leaders jersey change shoulders from Gino de Bakker, Benny van Brabant and Roland LeClercq. The Colombian Omar Hernández took the lead on the sixth stage. On the 12th stage to Cerler, Delgado battled with four Colombians and won the stage. He won the stage 15 time trial, where Colombian Martin Farfan took the leader's jersey. On the following stage to Santander, Delgado took the jersey. However Delgado's team had a bad day several stages later, when Indurain fell and broke his wrist; Delgado had difficulty keeping the jersey from Fabio Parra. Parra was only two seconds behind Delgado on the general classification at one stage. The final time trial was the last chance for Parra to try to take the jersey from Delgado, but Delgado won and increased his lead to win his third grand tour.

Route

Results

Final General Classification

References

External links

La Vuelta (Official site in Spanish, English, and French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuelta a Espana, 1989 1989 in road cycling 1989 1989 in Spanish sport