Vuelta al Pais Vasco Stats
Historical stats
– The first edition took place in 1924 and Francis Pélissier was the winner of what has known by the name of Gran Premio Excelsior
– The race was mentioned in Ernest Hemingway’s acclaimed novel “The Sun Also Rises”
– At first, the leader’s jersey was red, it then changed to blue, and finally to yellow
– Jose Antonio Gonzalez Linares is the rider with the most GC victories, 4, between 1972 and 1978
– Spain leads the nations standings, with 23 triumphs, followed by Italy (7) and Switzerland (5)
– Sean Kelly and Domingo Perurena share the record for the most stage wins, 11
– Laurent Jalabert has the most days spent in the leader’s jersey, 12
– Only riders from outside of Europe to take the overall are Chris Horner (U.S.A.) and Nairo Quintana (Colombia)
– No world champion has ever won the Vuelta al Pais Vasco
– Biggest winning margin between the first and second was recorded in 1924, when Francis finished 14:54 ahead of his brother, Henri
– 1989 saw the smallest gap, just one second between Stephen Roche and Federico Etxabe
– The first Tour de France champion to win the Vuelta al Pais Vasco was Jacques Anquetil, in 1969; the last one was Alberto Contador, in 2009
– Youngest ever winner is Jose Luis Laguia (22 years in 1982); oldest winner is Chris Horner (38 years in 2010)
2015 stats
– 19 teams (17 World Tour, 2 Pro Continental) will make-up the startlist of the 55th edition
– 4 of these teams haven’t scored a victory in 2015: Caja Rural, Cofidis, FDJ and LottoNL-Jumbo
– Two former winners will line-up in Bilbao (from where the race will depart): Nairo Quintana and Samuel Sanchez
– The peloton of the 2015 race has won a combined total of 7 Monuments, 2 Grand Tours, 6 World Titles and more than 60 Grand Tour stages
– Spain has the most cyclists at the start, 26, five more than France
– Matej Mohoric, the former Junior and U23 World Champion, is the youngest rider in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco (20 years), oldest one is Sky’s Xabier Zandio (38 years)
– The climb to the Santuario de Arrate will be a stage finish for the seventh year in a row
Cafe Roubaix 