Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) gets into his fresh gold jersey. He keeps the race lead. (Image credit: AFP)
The Southern Spanish city of Seville will host the start of the Vuelta a España in 2010, it was announced on Thursday by race organisers. Vuelta director, Javier Guillén also revealed a decision to change the colour of the race leader's jersey from gold to red.
Speaking at the finish of stage 15 of the current Vuelta in Córdoba, Guillén and the Andalucían Minister for Commerce, Tourism and Sport, Luciano Alonso said the 65th edition of the Spanish Grand Tour will begin with an eight kilometre night-time prologue along the banks of the River Guadalquivir.
"Seville is a place consistent with the history and tradition of the best race in Spain and one of the best in the world; a cherry on a magnificent cake," said Guillén, according to Spanish press agency EFE. "The community is linked to cycling through a team [Andalucía Cajasur – Ed.] and this year the region has hosted five stages of the race."
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The start in the Andalucían capital of Seville will be the fifth to take place in the region this decade. Seville was host to the start of stage 12 in the first edition of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and in recent year's Andalucía has played host to four Vuelta starts (2000, 2005, 2006 and 2008).
Guillén also announced that the race leader's jersey will be changed from its current gold colour to red for next year. He explained the decision by saying: "The Vuelta has commitment to innovation and hence the creation of the red jersey."
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