Edition 70 of the Vuelta Ciclista a España was an attrition race with loads of climbs in hot conditions. Froome, Nibali and Quintana were pre-race favourites, but eventually young riders Fabio Aru and Tom Dumoulin were battling it out with the Italian turning out on top. (Slideshow route/profile)
Read about the pre-race GC favourites and click links in the table below for potential winners per stage. Obviously, these articles were written before the start of the race.
Vuelta 2015: Favourites
| Nr | Date | Favourites | Type |
| 1 | Sa 22-8 | Orica vs. BMC vs. Sky | TTT |
| 2 | Su 23-8 | Rodriguez and other punchers | finish uphill |
| 3 | Mo 24-8 | For strong sprinter | hills, flat finish |
| 4 | Tu 25-8 | Puncheurs and climbing sprinters | flat, finish uphill |
| 5 | We 26-8 | Fast legs, for an uphill sprint | flat |
| 6 | Th 27-8 | GC guys or escapees | finish uphill |
| 7 | Fr 28-8 | Froome vs. Quintana vs. Nibali | mountains |
| 8 | Sa 29-8 | Strong sprinters or escapees? | flat |
| 9 | Su 30-8 | Gentlemen puncheurs, load your guns | hills, flat start |
| 10 | Mo 31-8 | Sagan, Degenkolb, and/or escapees… | hills |
| Tu 1-9 | rest day |
| 11 | We 2-9 | Wanted – climbers for Andorra’s Queen Stage | mountains |
| 12 | Th 3-9 | False flat sprint fest | hills, flat finish |
| 13 | Fr 4-9 | | hills |
| 14 | Sa 5-9 | Aru to glory on perfect closing climb | mountains, flat start |
| 15 | Su 6-9 | Break away riders vs. GC guys | mountains, flat start |
| 16 | Mo 7-9 | ‘Especial’ climber for ‘especial’ finale | mountains |
| Tu 8-9 | rest day |
| 17 | We 9-9 | Tom Dumoulin for glory | ITT |
| 18 | Th 10-9 | Brilliant descenders like Valverde | hills |
| 19 | Fr 11-9 | Cobbled climb to suit who? | hills |
| 20 | Sa 12-9 | Valverde after fast drop | mountains |
| 21 | Su 13-9 | Last say to the fast men | flat |
Vuelta 2015: Route, profiles and more
Click on the images to zoom
