Race analysis, favourites, and predictions for Vuelta a Burgos 2023

It is true that the rescheduling of the UCI World Championships has shifted the perception of what remains on the calendar, and it might seem like the season is already coming to an end. However, there are still several major events left to be contested, one of the main ones being La Vuelta Ciclista a España, which starts in 15 days. The Vuelta a Burgos, a 5-stage race within the UCI ProSeries, is positioned as the ideal warm-up for some of the cyclists who will participate in La Vuelta, as they don't want to miss the opportunity to add race kilometers to the legs and acclimatize to the heat that hits Spain during this time of the year.

Route

The Vuelta a Burgos is a race with its own personality, and the usual ascents to Picón Blanco (7.8 km at 9%) in stage 3 and to Lagunas de Neila (7 km at 8.7%) in the fifth and final stage will undoubtedly be the highlights of the two most decisive days for determining the race winner. The first of the five stages seems the most suitable for a bunch sprint, while stage 2 is a 13-kilometer team time trial. The fourth stage features a medium mountain profile, ending at Acebal-Vizcarra (2.1 km at 5.4%), where punchers might have their opportunity.

Favorites

Primož Roglič (1200) is the big favorite for the general classification, and his main rivals should be Adam Yates (1200), Aleksandr Vlasov (1000), Lennard Kämna (600), Damiano Caruso (600), and Jay Vine (600).

For the sprint on the first day, Juan Sebastian Molano (600), Iván García Cortina (400), Andrea Vendrame (400), or Manuel Peñalver (200) are some of the fastest contenders.

It's worth noting that the start list is still provisional, and several teams have yet to announce their line-ups.

Photo: Vuelta a Burgos