La Vuelta a España will commence in Barcelona on August 26 and Team Bahrain-Victorious has chosen Santiago Buitrago as its leader in the final Grand Tour of the season. 23-year-old Buitrago of Colombia finished 13th in the general classification of this year’s Giro d’Italia – a race in which he also took the stage victory in stage 19 by crossing the finish line in solo fashion on Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

“I’m very excited to return to the Vuelta a España,” an excited Buitrago told Roadcycling.com. “My preparation is on the right track, we have completed a very good preparation program, and I hope to arrive at the Vuelta in my best shape ever.”

Buitrago is grateful for having been given the role as team leader in La Vuelta. “It is a great privilege to go to the Vuelta as one of the leaders and to have the support and experience of my teammates. Together, we hope to do a great Vuelta. Our team has had good results in this year’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, and we hope that the Vuelta will not be the exception to the rule,” Buitrago explained.

While the Bahrain-Victorious team is rumored to be dissatisfied with the performances and results obtained by its Spanish rider Mikel Landa, he has nevertheless been appointed co-leader of the team in the Vuelta. 33-year-old Landa has podiumed in three races this season so far – La Fleche Wallonne, the Ruta del Sol, and the Itzulia Basque Country. Landa finished third in last year’s Giro d’Italia and has won stages in both the Giro and the Vuelta.

Landa has decided to leave the Bahrain-Victorious team at the end of the 2023 season and will ride for Soudal-QuickStep in 2024 and 2025.

Ina addition to Buitrago and Landa, the Bahrain-Victorious roster for La Vuelta a Espana 2023 features Wout Poels, Jasha Sutterlin, Antonio Tiberi, Kamil Gradek, and Matevz Govekar. Damiano Caruso will have the important role of road captain.

Poels will function as support rider in the mountains. Govekar will be the team’s sprinter and he will be supported by Sütterlin and Gradek in the sprint finishes of this year’s Vuelta.

While stage victories are always of great importance to the Bahrain-Victorious team, the team travels to the Vuelta with the ambition of placing one of its riders on the final podium when the race concludes in Madrid on September 17. Additionally, the team intends fight for the top spot in the Best Young Rider Classification.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for news from La Vuelta a Espana 2023.

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