Gaviria, Sagan and Cavendish to go head-to-head at the Vuelta San Juan

Quintana, Alaphilippe, Benoot and Wellens favorites for the overall race

Despite the competition and the coincidence in dates with other races on the world calendar, both in Europe and Oceania, the Vuelta a San Juan (January 27 to February 3) continues to take giant steps, demonstrating that category 2.1 on the UCI calendar is well deserved.

On the American continent, only the Tour de California, which is part of the World Tour, and the Tour of Utah, category 2.HC, has more importance as far as stage races are concerned, but the San Juan stands out for its remarkable participation, something that will happen again in 2019.

The 2019 the list of stars grows with the presence of, in addition to Gaviria; Peter Sagan, Nairo Quintana, Mark Cavendish, Julian Alaphilippe, Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens.

There will be World Champions, winners of great stage races, classics, sprinters, the attention is captured by the very young Remco Evenepoel, European and Junior World Champion against the clock and who will debut in San Juan, at just 19 years old.

The 27 participating teams

There will be a total of 27 teamswho will take part in the 37th edition of the Tour of San Juan. Of these, six will be WorldTour : Bora-Hansgrohe (Germany), Dimension Data (South Africa), Deceuninck-Quick Step (Belgium), UAE Emirates (United Arab Emirates), Movistar (Spain) and Lotto-Soudal (Belgium).

Androni Giocatolli (Italy), Nippo Fantini (Italy), Wilier Triestina (Italy), Israel Cycling Academy (Israel) and Caja Rural (Spain) will be the five Professional Continental  teams, while Petroli Firenze-Hopplà (Italy), Medellín (Colombia), Biesse Carrera Gavardo (Italy), Start Team Gusto (Bolivia) and Sporting Tavira (Portugal), in addition to the premises Virgen de Fátima, Pocito, Mardam and Rawson will be the nine Continental category.

As in other years, the participation is completed by a large representation of the South American cycling teams, with the presence of the national teams of Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Cuba, as well as Argentina.

All of them will contain some of its best cyclists and in addition to the aforementioned stars will have to talk and take into account Óscar Sevilla (Medellín), local Ricardo School (Fatima), Giovanni Visconti (Wilier) and, among many others, Max Richeze (Deceunik-Quick Step), who can boast of having as many international triumphs in San Juan as Fernando Gaviria himself: two stages in 2017 and one in 2018, in addition to the two he won in 2005 and the other in 2007- when the test had not yet transcended borders.

The route

The participation of stars is splendid, the route is not far behind, because it is specially designed so that the stars of the race, and all those who aspire to glory, give us an unforgettable spectacle.

A special war will be with the sprinters, especially in the arrival to Pocito, gon the first stage, because there is not only the triumph at stake, but the first leader's jersey. With Gaviria, Cavendish and Sagan it will seem like an end to the Tour de France itself.

The sixth stage, at the Villicum Racetrack, and the seventh and last, on the traditional circuit of the San Juan bypass, are equally conducive to sprinters, who may also have an opportunity, if in the previous mountain there are no escapes or there is too much war, in the goal of Valle Fértil-Villa San Agustín (fourth stage).

The strong men of the race, meanwhile, are expected in the second stage, with final in Peri Lago-Punta Negra and where Alaphilippe, Benoot and Wellens will have much to say; the next day in the Pocito time trial, about 12 km; and very especially in the arrival to the High Colorado (fifth stage), a port not very hard, but of 14,4 kilometers in length and whose top is to 2,565 meters of altitude.

It will be the opportunity to try and be seen by Nairo Quintana, Óscar Sevilla and those who aspire to the absolute triumph of the 37th edition of the Vuelta a San Juan.