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The Vuelta a España is an annual cycling road race held in Spain that covers thousands of kilometers across the country over several weeks. It is one of the three major professional cycling races in the world, alongside the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, making it a significant event in the sport.
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The Vuelta a España ( pronounced [ˈbwelta a esˈpaɲa]; lit. 'Tour of Spain') is an annual multi-stage road cycling race primarily held in Spain. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the race was first organised in 1935. The race was prevented from being run by the Spanish Civil War and World War II in the early years of its existence; however, the race has been held annually since 1955. As the Vuelta gained prestige and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend all around the globe. Since 1979, the event has been staged and managed by Unipublic, until in 2014, when the Amaury Sport Organisation acquired control. Since then, they have been working together. The peloton expanded from a primarily Spanish participation to include riders from all over the world. The Vuelta is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the wild card teams that the organizers can invite.
Along with the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta is one of cycling's prestigious Grand Tours. First held in 1935 and annually since 1955, the Vuelta runs for three weeks in a changing route across Spain. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, with the appearance of at least two time trials, the passage through the mountain chain of the Pyrenees or the Cantabrian Mountains, and the finish in the Spanish capital Madrid. The modern editions of the Vuelta a España consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days.