The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia (English: Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs. Originally the race was held in early March and consisted of five stages. However, due to Spain's financial turmoil, the race was scaled back to three stages in 2011 and two stages in 2012.[1] From 2013 to 2018 the Vuelta a Murcia was organised as a single-day race and shifted to mid-February on the international calendar.[2] In 2019 the race was expanded to two stages.[3] It is part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event.[3] However, due to the postponement of the 2021 edition to May, the race was reverted to its one-day nature, with the expectation that the race will continue as a two-day event in future editions.[4]
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Mid-February |
| Region | Region of Murcia, Spain |
| English name | Tour of Murcia |
| Local name(s) | Vuelta Ciclistica a la Region di Murcia |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Type |
|
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 1981 |
| Editions | 44 (as of 2024) |
| First winner |  Pedro Delgado (ESP) |
| Most wins | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) (5 wins) |
| Most recent |  Ben O'Connor (AUS) |
Controversies
editAll Italian teams were banned from taking part in the 2010 edition of the race by race organizers. This decision was made due to the banning of Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde by the Italian Olympic Committee due to his links with the Operación Puerto blood doping ring.[5]
In 2011 Alberto Contador won both the overall and points classification after winning Stage 2 and the Stage 3 individual time trial. However, in February 2012 he was suspended and all his results after July 2010 were voided, awarding Jérôme Coppel of Saur Sojasun the overall victory.[6]
Past winners – men's race
edit
Past winners – women's race
edit| Year | Country | Rider | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Spain
|
Gloria Rodriguez | Movistar Team |
References
edit- ^ "Economic crisis hits Tour of Murcia". Cyclingnews. Future Publishing Limited. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Axelgaard, Emil. "Vuelta a Murcia preview". Cycling Quotes. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ^ a b Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia (2.1) on BikeRaceInfo.
- ^ "The 41st Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia "Costa Cálida"-Gran Premio Banco Sabadell, to start from Los Alcázares and finish on Alcantarilla". Vuelta a Murcia. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Tour of Murcia bars Italian teams". Cyclingnews. Future Publishing Limited. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ Stokes, Shane (6 February 2012). "Confirmed: Contador handed two year doping ban,loses 2010 Tour title". VeloNation. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "Santos se queda sin victoria por un positivo". 2 July 2006.
- ^ "Standings Vuelta a Murcia 2020 - Cycling". Eurosport. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "Road race - Men live - 23 May 2021". Eurosport. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "Alessandro Covi wins Vuelta a Murcia". cyclingnews.com. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "Ben Turner surges late to win Vuelta Murcia". cyclingnews.com. 11 February 2022.
External links
edit- Official website (in Spanish)