The 2023 Vuelta a España turned out a fair share of drama, controversy and unexpected moments between the opening stage in Barcelona through the closing metres in Madrid.
There was mayhem in the first stages: riders got caught in the dark on open roads after finishing the opening team time trial and organisers neutralised the second stage because of severe weather, taking the time for GC at the Alto del Castillo de Montjuic with 3.6km to go. Then Remco Evenepoel ploughed into one of the Andorra police after powering to the victory on stage 3.
All of that was forgotten amid the evolving Jumbo-Visma clean sweep and the intra-team rivalry between Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič.
In between, there was time in the spotlight for neo-pro Lenny Martinez, the surprising collapse of Remco Evenepoel on stage 13 to the Col du Tourmalet and his rebound to wins on stage 14 and 18, a surprise first WorldTour win for sprinter Geoffrey Soupe, and Filippo Ganna’s return to the top in the time trial as well as his debut as a bunch sprinter.
All of it provided plenty of drama for photographer Chris Auld, who captured these stunning images throughout the Vuelta a España.
Jumbo-Visma take on the controversial opening team time trial in Barcelona
Remco Evenepoel speeds along in the red leader’s jersey during an early stage of the race
Evenepoel held the race lead for three days during the opening week
Sepp Kuss celebrates with the crowd as he solos home to win atop the Javalambre
A breakaway win on stage 6 which would change the course of Kuss’ Vuelta
Juan Ayuso reacts after the finish at Javalambre, one of many summit finishes packing the Vuelta route
Thomas De Gendt, Diego Camargo, and Rui Costa in the break on stage 8 to Xorret de Catí
Young Frenchman Lenny Martinez spent two days in red during his debut Grand Tour
TotalEnergies’ Geoffrey Soupe was an unexpected sprint winner on stage 7
Riders speed through a village during a stage in the middle of the Vuelta
Lennard Kämna completed his Grand Tour stage win set at Collado de la Cruz de Caravaca
German champion Emanuel Buchmann comes to the finish on stage 9
World TT champion Remco Evenepoel was the best of the GC favourites at the Valladolid time trial
Abel Balderstone and Jetse Bol during their doomed two-man breakaway on stage 12
The GC race completely changed on the mythical Col du Tourmalet on stage 13
Support for Sepp Kuss, by that point enjoying his fifth day in the red jersey
Riders battle the gradients on one of cycling’s most famous and picturesque climbs
It was along way to the top, not least for Remco Evenepoel, who was dropped 90km from the finish
A familiar sight – Jumbo-Visma in control of the peloton on the road to the Tourmalet
Jonas Vingegaard went on the attack to claim the first of his two stage wins
Further back, Kuss was also on the move as Jumbo-Visma shot to a 1-2-3 finish at the top
Aussie climber Michael Storer works his way to the summit of the Tourmalet
Evenepoel quickly turned his attention to stage wins after falling out of GC contention
Kuss and Vingegaard held the red and polka dot jerseys on stage 13
Jumbo-Visma lead Kuss at the head of the peloton
EF Education-EasyPost had a quiet Vuelta, though Diego Camargo did battle for breakaways
Sepp Kuss and Damiano Caruso during stage 16 to Bejes
A climber fan by the roadside on one of the Vuelta’s many mountains
Viewing the action from a distance
Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard battle up the final 2km of the Angliru after dropping Kuss
It was a Vuelta to forget for Geraint Thomas, who suffered multiple unlucky setbacks during the first half of the race
Evenepoel battled into the polka dot jersey, but couldn’t claim a breakaway win on the Angliru
Primoz Roglic takes time to stretch following stage 18 to La Cruz de Linares
The final summit finish of the race brought Evenepoel’s third stage victory
Meanwhile, Kuss was secure in red after Vingegaard and Roglic paced him to the finish line
RIders from Arkéa-Samsic, Groupama-FDJ, and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA speed along during a late stage of the race
All smiles for Jumbo-Visma as the team locked out the final podium
Sepp Kuss hugs his loyal domestique Attila Valter
Roglic speaks to the world’s media
Evenepoel leading an attack – the Belgian picked up the Vuelta’s combativity prize
He missed out on a fourth stage win on stage 20, narrowly losing to Wout Poels in Guadarrama
Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma’s lead trio could enjoy the finish of stage 20, their domination complete
One last outing – the peloton fly around the Madrid city circuit on stage 21
Red jersey Kuss nestled among the peloton on a day for the sprinters
Hugs all round for the peloton’s newest Grand Tour winner as Jumbo-Visma donned special jerseys
The team wore striped kits commemorating their wins at all three Grand Tours in 2023
The face of a champion
Kuss, the red jersey at the end of a Vuelta for the ages
Jumbo-Visma crossed the line arm in arm in Madrid
Kuss takes the podium to celebrate his Vuelta win as night falls
The final podium – an unprecedented sweep with Kuss leading Vingegaard and Roglic
At last, the champagne
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