The Vuelta a Espana, aka the Tour of Spain, is almost a week old and the consensus favorite, Primoz Roglic, has finally taken over the lead and wearing the red jersey as the race reaches the first difficult mountain stages. Heading into Stage 7, Roglic is the betting favorite at -180 odds to win the Vuelta, while Egan Bernal from Ineos Grenadiers is the closest rival at +350.
Roglic from Jumbo-Visma won the Vuelta in the last two years and he’s seeking a third straight red jersey. Bernal seeks a win at the Vuelta to complete a Triple Crown in the Grand Tours.
| 2021 VUELTA A ESPANA (TOUR OF SPAIN) ODDS |
- Primoz Roglic -180
- Egan Bernal +350
- Enric Mas +650
- Adam Yates +1100
- Miguel Angel Lopez +1400
- Mikel Landa +2000
- Aleksandr Vlasov +2200
- Richard Carapaz +3500
- Mark Padun +5000
- Giulio Ciccone +5000
- High Carthy +1000
- Fabio Aru +15000
- Sepp Kiss +18000
- Guillaume Martin +30000
- Rein Taaramae +80000
Bernal, the exciting young Colombian from Ineos, won the Tour de France two summers ago and the Giro D’Italia (aka Tour of Italy) in late May. Bernal has a yellow jersey for the Tour the France win in 2019 and a pink jersey for his Giro win, but he needs a red jersey from the Vuelta to complete the rare feat. He skipped the Tour de France and the Olympics to rest up and have fresh legs for the Vuelta.
On Deck: Balcon de Alicante and Alto de Velefique
Roglic lost an uphill sprint in Stage 6 after Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) edged him out at the finish line at Alto de la Montana. Roglic seized the overall lead in the general classification. Bernal sits in fifth place, but 41 seconds behind Roglic.
Right now, it’s Roglic and Bernal in the top five of the GC with a trio of riders from Movistar Team. Enric Mas sits in second place and 25 seconds behind Roglic, while teammate “Superman” Miguel Angel Lopez in third place by 36 seconds.
Mas is third on the cycling futures board at +650 odds behind Bernal and Roglic to win the Vuelta.
Sepp Kuss from Jumbo-Visma, the highest American on the Vuelta futures board, is a long shot at +18000 odds. He could win a mountain stage in the next few days so keep an eye on the kid from Durango, Colorado.
| VUELTA GC STANDINGS – THRU STAGE 6 |
- Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 21:04:49
- Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:25
- Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno (Movistar) +00:36
- Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +00:41
- Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) +00:41
After a tame first week, the peloton reached Valencia and the first mountain stages of the Vuelta. They will be challenged in Stage 7 with searing temperatures for a 152 km ride that ends with a summit finish at Balcon de Alicante in the Alicante Sierras.
On Sunday, the toughest stage of the Vuelta looms with a 188 km route from Puerto Lumbreras to Alto de Velefique. Once again, it’s a summit finish with the peloton facing the first-ever special categorified climb in the Vuelta. That should be a fun stage to see if anyone challenges Roglic and Bernal on the ascent of Alto de Velefique.