Ruta del Sol 2016: Favourites

Ruta del Sol, aka Vuelta a Andalucia, is one of the first stage races on European soil. Played out in the deep south of Spain, the race features a plentitude of climbs. Cyclingstage.com takes a closer look at the GC favourites in the 2016 Ruta de Sol.

The 2015 Ruta del Sol brought a titanic clash between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador, with the Briton winning by a tiny 2 seconds margin. The race – also known as the Vuelta a Andalucía, or the Tour of Andalucia – is feared and loved for the intense climbing, bringing us to this list of major contenders.

Mikel Landa dropped out at the eleventh hour due to ilness. Wout Poels, winner in the Vuelta a Valencia, now leads Team Sky.

Favourites Ruta del Sol 2016:

*** Wout Poels, Rafal Majka, Alejandro Valverde, Tejay van Garderen
** Bauke Mollema, Steven Kruijswijk
* Wilco Kelderman, Roman Kreuziger, Tim Wellens