The 57th edition of the ''Vuelta a España'' (Tour of Spain), a long-distance
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
stage
Stage, stages, or staging may refer to:
Arts and media 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 Brit ...
race and one of the three
grand tours, was held from 7 September to 29 September 2002. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of , and was won by
Aitor González of the
Kelme–Costa Blanca 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 ...
.
Joseba Beloki
Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (born 12 August 1973) is a Spanish Basques, Basque former professional road bicycle racer.
Tour successes
Beloki turned professional in 1998 with , joined in 2000, and then in 2001. A strong climber in the high mount ...
, the second-place finisher of the
2002 Tour de France was part of the winning
ONCE–Eroski team that won the opening team time trial of the race. Beloki held the lead until the fifth stage when he lost it to a teammate but on the sixth stage which was won by
Roberto Heras
Roberto Heras Hernández (born 1 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer who won the Vuelta a España a record four times. Between 1997 Vuelta a España, 1997 and 2005 Vuelta a España, 2005 he finished in the top 5 o ...
. Beloki lost considerable time to other general classification contenders
Óscar Sevilla
Óscar Miguel Sevilla Rivera (born 29 September 1976), nicknamed ''El Niño'', is a Spanish-Colombian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He is a Bicycling terminology#climber, climber with a pedigree ...
,
Aitor González and Heras. Sevilla took the leader's jersey which he had worn for much of the previous edition of the Vuelta. After the first individual time trial, his teammate
Aitor González was within one second of the jersey. On stage 15, González increased the pace of the group and put Sevilla in difficulty. Heras profited from this and attacked to take the stage win and the lead. Heras kept the lead until the final day when there was an individual time trial. Heras started the day with a lead of one minute and eight seconds over González but he lost this in the first 25 km of the time trial. González took the lead and won the Vuelta, Heras came second and Beloki recovered to eventually finish third overall. The Vuelta was also marked by three stage wins of Italian sprinter
Mario Cipollini who retired from the race after his third stage win to prepare for the World Championships.
During stage 15 riders climbed the
Alto de l'Angliru
Alto de L'Angliru (; ) is a steep mountain road in Asturias, near La Vega-Riosa, in northern Spain. It is considered one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing and is often used in the Vuelta a España stage race.
Origin ...
in rain. Team cars stalled on the steepest part, some unable to restart because their tires slipped on messages painted by fans.
[Procycling, UK, November 2003] Riders were caught behind them and others had to ride with flat tires because mechanics could not reach them.
David Millar crashed three times and protested by handing in his race number a metre from the line. The judges ruled he had not finished the stage and he left the race.
Epica y polémica
/ref> He regretted his temper – he had been ninth – and apologised to his team.
Route
Jersey Progress
General classification (final)
References
External links
La Vuelta (Official site in Spanish, English, and French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuelta a Espana, 2002
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
2002 in road cycling
2002 in Spanish sport