The Vuelta a La Rioja ( en, Tour of La Rioja) is a regional Spanish

road bicycle race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

held in

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and N� ...

. From 2005 to 2008, it was a

2.1 The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world's governing body in the sport of bicycle racing, classifies races according to a rating scale. The rating is represented by a code made of two or three parts and indicates both the type or style ...

category race on the

UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

. The event is facing financial challenges in 2009. Wrote velonews.com:

Economic woes in Spain have forced organizers to reduce the formerly three-day Rioja tour into a one-day race around the famous wine-growing region. Rather than risk not having any race at all, organizers opted to downsize in 2009 with hopes of reviving the stage-race format next season.

Winners

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vuelta A La Rioja UCI Europe Tour races Rioja Recurring sporting events established in 1957 1957 establishments in Spain Sport in La Rioja (Spain)