The Vuelta Espana

Peter Cole recently visited the Vuelta as it finished in Tarragona in the Catalan region of Spain with Cycling Costa Daurada. He took a few photos of the finish area of stage 12 which was won by BMC’s Phillippe Gilbert after 4 hours of racing, who finally shook off ‘the curse of the Rainbow Jersey’ to claim his first win in the striped top of 2013, coming past SKY’s Edvald Boasson Hagen in the last few metres of the stage. Maximilian Ariel Richeze of Lampre-Merida then brought the bunch home not far behind.

If you ever wondered just went on after the riders have sprinted home then you get a good idea from these shots. There’s riders in a hurry to get to their hotels to start the recovery process, doubling back to get to their team cars or buses, even though others are still coming across the line to finish the stage officially. Huge crowds lining either side of the road. Various hangers-on mixing with race officials, support staff and VIPs. Its organised chaos… Read More >