Name: Vuelta a Espana 2016
Start: 2016-08-20T00:00:00Z
End: 2016-09-11T00:00:00Z
Location: Spain

2016 Vuelta a Espana

2015 Vuelta a Espana l 2014 Vuelta a Espana l 2013 Vuelta a Espana

Quintana takes overall victory, Cort wins second stage in Madrid

It was smooth sailing for Nairo Quintana on the final stage of the 2016 Vuelta a España, and the Colombian finished off his overall victory together with his Movistar teammates in Madrid.

Magnus Cort Nielsen (Orica-BikeExchange) claimed his second stage victory of the race, topping veteren Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) and double stage winner Gianni Meersman (Etixx-Quickstep) in Madrid.

Quintana ended the race with 1:28 over second placed Chris Froome (Sky), with Esteban Chaves (Orica-BikeExchange) in third at 4:08.

Video Highlights

Stage 21 Brief Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Orica-BikeExchange	2:48:52
2	Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff Team
3	Gianni Meersman (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
4	Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data
5	Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin
6	Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ
7	Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
8	Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Team Katusha
9	Rudiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
10	Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Team Sky

Final general classification
#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team	83:31:28
2	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	0:01:23
3	Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-BikeExchange	0:04:08
4	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team	0:04:21
5	Andrew Talansky (USA) Cannondale-Drapac	0:07:43
6	Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange	0:08:33
7	David De La Cruz (Spa) Etixx - Quick-Step	0:11:18
8	Daniel Moreno (Spa) Movistar Team	0:13:04
9	Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac	0:13:17
10	George Bennett (NZl) Team LottoNl-Jumbo	0:14:07

Race preview

Race organisers revealed the full route of the 2016 Vuelta a Espana, which will include 10 summit finishes - one more than the 2015 edition of the race. The race as a whole will be less mountainous than the previous year, but the majority of the harder stages are scheduled into the second week, which means that we could see a potential overall winner before the final week or the finale stage in Madrid.

The final Grand Tour of the 2016 season will start with a 29.4km team time trial in Galicia in the north west of Spain, where the terrain is unforgivably undulating. The race then moves into the mountains of the Asturias region, into the Basque Country, a trip to the Pyrenees and into Aubisque.

The climbing during the second week of the race will be the most decisive. After already completing four summit finishes, the peloton will embark on stage 10, the most difficult as it finishes on the Lagos de Covadonga, widely rated as one of Spain’s toughest single climbs. That ascent will be followed by climbs in subsequent stages over Peña Cabarga (a summit finish), Alto del Vivero in Bilbao, and summit finishes in Aubisque and Formigal.

The final week will head through the south east regions Valencia and Alicante. It will include the final two summit finishes on in Mas de la Costa on stage 17 and on Alto de Aitana on stage 20. There is also a decisive 39km time trial on stage 19 that will finish in Calp, before the traditional sprint finish in Madrid.

Fabio Aru (Astana) beat Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) in the 2015 Vuelta a Espana but won't defend his title.

Final general classification for the 2015 Vuelta a Espana

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team	8:36:13
2	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	0:00:57
3	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:01:09
4	Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team	0:01:42
5	Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica GreenEdge	0:03:10
6	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin	0:03:46
7	Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team	0:06:47
8	Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky	0:07:06
9	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha	0:07:12
10	Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka	0:10:26