The 2023 La Vuleta a Espana begins next weekend with the best cyclists in the world competing to enter the history books and win one of the biggest races on the calendar.
The 2023 Tour De France winner Jonas Vingegaard comes into the race in fantastic form, and his biggest rival Tadej Pogacar won’t be in Spain after his recent struggles as he has decided on resting instead of competing.
But the 2022 winner Remco Evenepoel is involved as is King of the Mountains Primoz Roglic, so we’ll break down the favorites’ chances and provide you with our best free cycling picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash.
| La Vuelta 2023 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Vingegaard | +120 | +120 | +120 |
| Primoz Roglic | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Remco Evenepoel | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Juan Ayuso | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Geraint Thomas | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
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Below you’ll find the favorites to win the La Vuelta Espana 2023 race.
Vingegaard became the 12th man to win consecutive Tour De France’s this year, and now comes into this race as the main man and favorite to be successful again. If he does it, it’s going to be the third Grand Tour triumph in his career. The other two happened at the Tour de France.
It was July 23rd when Vingegaard cycled across the finish line at Champs-Elysees in Paris, and he’ll be hoping to do it again on September 17th in Spain. The big question is whether five weeks is enough time to rest and prepare for another big challenge.
It seems unlikely considering the sheer physicality it takes to win these events, which is why Vingegaard is not my Vuelta a Espana pick. The thing is that cyclists rarely win two Grand Tours in one calendar year with the last time it happened being back in 2017 when Chris Froome did it. At +120, the value just isn’t there for it.
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Primoz Roglic is a Slovenian top-rated cyclist representing Team Jumbo-Visma. Roglic has proven to be a formidable force, especially in stage races.
He’s a three-time winner of La Vuelta a Espana (2021, 2020 and 2019). Primoz Roglic is well-known for his climbing prowess and admirable time trial skills. Even though Primoz missed out on a fourth consecutive title last year, it’s no shock that he’s among the favorites again here.
The 33-year-old Slovenian is widely considered one of the best cyclists of all time.
He was the No. 1 favorite to win the race in 2022 as well, but he had a nasty crash in the fifth stage of the race. Roglic dislocated his shoulder and had to put it into place on his own, which meant that even though he continued to compete and race, he just wasn’t able to catch up with his rivals after the incident.
After all, he’s a Vuelta legend, who’s got a chance to even the record for the most wins in this event. There is a reason that his odds are so low, but there’s decent value in backing him to extend his record here and make it four wins in five years.
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On Sunday, 11th September 2022, Remco Evenepoel was announced as the winner of the Vuelta a Espana. It was the first Grand Tour victory for the Belgium professional cyclist, and now Evenepoel will be looking to defend his Vuelta a Espana title in 2023.
He has continued with his excellent form since then, including two multi-stage race triumphs and Evenepoel was expected to do well in the first Grand Tour of 2023 as well.
In fact, he started the Giro d’Italia in top gear, getting ahold of the pink jersey (race leader’s shirt) straight away. Unfortunately, he tested positive for COVID-19 after Stage 9, for which he was forced to withdraw.
We all know he’s capable of riding his way to victory here, but with Roglic and Vingegaard both in the race too it would take a monumental effort on his behalf and the odds are a bit short considering those ahead of him in the running.
Born and raised in Barcelona, Juan Ayuso will turn 23 one day before the end of the 2023 Vuelta.
This will be only his second Grand Tour event, but despite that he has experience of racing in his home country and is considered one of the best prospects in the sport already.
Last year, he finished fifth in the Volta a Catalunya, while in the Vuelta 2022, he ended up on the podium. Ayuso finished third last year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something similar this time around.
In 2023, he’s already done a lot, with his standout performance being the one at the Tour de Suisse, where he finished second.
It’s hard to back him however considering the competition in the race, but also the fact that he’s never won a multi-day race in his career up to this point. Even though I expect Ayuso to do great in the Vuelta, the chances of that happening for the first time here are slim. Another podium finish shouldn’t be ruled out, but a win seems too far of a reach and the odds don’t reflect his chances properly.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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