Cycling: Spain is undoubtedly a cycling nation. Big names like Indurain, Bahamontes, Sastre and Freire have had good results over the decades. But their careers are long over. Now Alberto Contador is gone too. Successors are not in sight. Does Spanish cycling have a serious problem?
The top stars quit
It is perfectly normal for nations to experience certain ups and downs in different sports. But there are countries that bring out top stars almost constantly. In cycling, these definitely include Belgium, Italy, France – and of course Spain. There were hardly any years in which the Spaniards did not have a say in the really big victories. But that time could come now. At least that is strongly suggested. Because last year Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha-Alpecin) hung up his bike. Last week Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) competed in his last professional race. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is undoubtedly still one of the best in the world, but Balaverde will be 38 next year.
The UCI ranking speaks volumes
Each season, the UCI compiles a ranking based on sporting success in the World Tour. This also compares the nations. In 2015, Spain was ranked first. Last year, they only managed fifth place. This season, the Spaniards are currently in fourth place. That doesn't sound so worrying. But who has earned the necessary points? Valverde is in fourth place (2.823 points) and Contador in tenth (2.242). In total, the two are responsible for 5.065 of the 11.145 points. Only Mikel Landa (Sky) and Jon Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) have managed to also achieve 1.000 To score points. At 28, these two are at their prime in cycling. But who's next?
Hardly any young Spaniards move up
The fifth-best Spaniard is only ranked 71st in the UCI WorldTour rankings. Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar) is known only to true connoisseurs. His strengths lie in the battle against the clock, but he's not a true winner in important races. Jesus Herrada (Movistar), Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Carlos Barbero (Movistar), and David de la Cruz (Quick-Step Floors) complete the top 100 in Spanish cycling in 2017. While they may all be capable of stage wins now and then, they are miles away from the quality of Contador or Valverde. In addition to a small number of top riders, the Spanish also suffer from a lack of young riders. There seems to be no sign of them coming up. Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors), Ivan Garcia (Bahrain-Merida), Cristian Rodriguez (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia), Manuel Diaz (Israel Cycling Academy), Alex Aranburu (Caja Rural) and Daniel Lopez (Burgos BH) are the only Spaniards in the top 1.000who won't be 25 or older next season. It's no coincidence that the local heroes hardly win any stages at the Vuelta a España anymore. This year, Contador had to pull himself out of the fire on the penultimate stage and take the only stage win – a scenario previously unthinkable!
Mikel Landa will be the only Spanish winner
Due to the negative prospects for the future, one naturally wonders why Spanish cycling is suddenly suffering from such problems. We cannot give an exact answer to this question either. However, it does not seem impossible that the Fuentes doping case is partly to blame. While football and tennis are at their peak in Spain, cycling is suffering from negative publicity. The Fuentes scandal was eleven years ago and fits perfectly into the current time frame. It is quite possible that after Valverde we will only see one top rider from Spain: Mikel Landa. He is moving to the Movistar team for the new season. The footsteps of Valverde and Quintana are huge there, but Landa is capable of almost anything. Of course, in 3-4 years, new Valverdes and Contadors can suddenly get on their bikes, but they are not in sight at the moment. Above all, sprinters and classic car hunters are not to be seen far and wide. We can be curious about the development of Spanish cycling in the coming years.
