The 176 riders taking part in La Vuelta 24, led by the defending champion Sepp Kuss, were the stars of the official team presentation in Lisbon. Three Portuguese champions are living a "a dream", former World Champion Rui Costa rejoices. "I hope I’ll have a big smile on the podium", Australia’s Ben O’Connor says after finishing 4th in the Tour and the Giro.
A monumental presentation in Belém
The majestic Belém Tower provided a prestigious backdrop for the official team presentation of La Vuelta 24 in Lisbon, on Thursday. The public gathered in the gardens in front of the emblematic monument to get a close-up view of the 176 riders who will be lining up at the start of the 79th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, in a bid to succeed Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), who was very much in evidence with his number 1 bib. The parade of riders and the music of a DJ set the pace for a day also marked by various activities at the start of stage 1 on Saturday, in front of the Monasterio de los Jerónimos.
Kuss’s return and Van Aert’s first
Winners of four of the last five editions of La Vuelta, with a 1-2-3 on the podium of the 2023 edition, Visma-Lease a Bike naturally come with high ambitions, embodied by the defending winner, Sepp Kuss, and a very special newcomer, Wout van Aert.
“I want to honour the race being with the number 1”, Kuss said on Thursday, after showing strong form in the Vuelta a Burgos. “Last year, there were quite unique circumstances. This year, without two main GC riders like Jonas [Vingegaard] and Primoz [Roglic]… I wouldn’t say there’s more pressure, but you feel there’s no back up and you have to be more focused during the whole race.”
“To win stages is my personal objective for this Vuelta”, Van Aert added. “Together with Sepp, we hope to have a successful Grand Tour. My whole season was different than I expected. I’m here to try to win a stage, hopefully it doesn’t take too long, and then to see if we can approach other objectives like the green jersey.”
Rui Costa: “It's a dream to start from Portugal”
The first time La Vuelta started outside of Spain, in 1997, Lisbon was already the main protagonist, on the occasion of Expo ‘98 held in the Portuguese capital. 27 years later, the Spanish Grand Tour returns with three stages in Portugal: a 12-km time trial this Saturday between Lisbon and Oeiras, and two online stages linking Cascais and Ourém on Sunday and Lousã and Castelo Branco on Monday. Three Portuguese stars attend this unique event: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), one of the great contenders for the final podium of the general classification, and the veterans Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost) and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar Team).
“It's a dream to start a Grand Tour from Portugal”, national champion Rui Costa says. “I’ve been cycling all my life, and to be able to be close to the people who have supported me all my life is very gratifying. [The stage win in Lekunberri in 2024] was a very important victory for me, I was looking for it years after my successes in the Tour and the Worlds.” Costa is now ready to ride in support of Richard Carapaz: ”In the Tour de France he showed he is doing well and he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. He is a very strong rider and we will fight with him to be on the final podium.”
O’Connor: “I hope I’ll have a big smile on the podium”
What’s Ben O’Connor’s goal in La Vuelta 24? “Not 4th!”, the Australian climber from Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale said with a laugh, hinting at his best performances from the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. “It’s kind of the worst place, you’re close but not enough. I hope in three weeks in Madrid I’ll have that big smile on the the podium, proud of myself and proud of what we’ve done with the team. I had a pretty long break and I had plenty of time to prepare for this race, so I’d be disappointed if I’m not like at the beginning of the season, fighting for podiums and wins. It’s gonna be a pretty fun race of does the break win or not and can the GC guys take a chance to win stages. Hopefully I can get a bit of both, after my victories in the Tour and the Giro.”
Coming off the Tour, his teammate Felix Gall stated that “Ben is the leader, I’m here to support him. I don’t know the body will react, doing a Grand Tour again after having done the Tour. I think we need to see on the first rest day where I’m at, to see if it makes any sense to focus on GC or on support. It’s a bit of an open role.”
Landa: “If I’m like I was in the Tour…”
Mikel Landa and his teammates showed their hunger to tackle La Vuelta 24 as the Wolfpack turns into the T-Rex Pack, with a new jersey and a new name highlighting the sealants and adhesives produced by Soudal. “We are excited, with a very complete team and a new logo”, ‘Mikel Landismosaurus Rex’ said. “It’s different and we hope to enjoy it in the race as well.”
The Spanish climber, 5th of the Tour de France 2024 and 5th of La Vuelta 23 as well, feels the expectations surrounding him ahead of his home Grand Tour: “I feel that pressure, the way people want me to do well, to show the same shape as in the Tour. I’m motivated. After the Tour, I disconnected a bit, so I’m hoping to feel better and better and do a great La Vuelta. When I returned in 2021, I realised I had missed a great event and I want to be a protagonist here, like I’ve been in the Tour. I’d like to be close to the podium and to fight for some stage. If I’m like I was in the Tour, [winning La Vuelta] could be a possibility.”
