The Vuelta a España is the third and final Grand Tour of the pro season, and its leader on general classification is denoted by the red jersey – or maillot rojo. And like the Tour de France’s yellow jersey or the Giro d’Italia’s pink, the red jersey has become an icon of Spain’s three-week showpiece.
It has become a symbol of combativity, heat, mountains, and the Spanish national flag, yet it might be a surprise to discover that the Vuelta’s leader’s jersey only gained its red hue as recently as 2010.
The history of the red jersey
Although the first Vuelta a España was held in 1935, the race didn’t become a regular fixture until 1955. During these early years, various jerseys were employed to identify the race leader, with white and orange versions appearing several times. The first ever red jersey was introduced at the 1945 edition of the race, with a distinctive white version featuring a red horizontal band following between 1946 and 1950.
With the race’s regularisation in 1955, the leader’s jersey became similarly standardised. Aping the more famous Tour de France, the organisers settled on a bright yellow shade for the race’s overall leader.
This continued until 1999. Potentially aware they were selling Spain’s national race short by awarding what was in effect an ersatz version of the Tour de France’s maillot jaune, the race’s organisers substituted a gold version, the maillot oro. Handsome though it was, it was hardly a signficant departure – depending on the light, it still looked quite yellow.
The situation was finally remedied in 2010 with the introduction of the red jersey. At the time, race director Javier Guillén stated that it was inspired by the tradition of Spanish sports teams who generally compete in red.
Who won the first red jersey?
Mark Cavendish had the distinction of winning the first modern maillot rojo, claiming it by winning the 2010 race’s initial sprint stage in Seville. Italian Vincenzo Nibali would eventually win the overall classification in Madrid.
The women’s red jersey
Since 2015 the Vuelta has held a corresponding women’s road race. Originally known as Challenge by La Vuelta, the first few editions were limited to a single day of racing.
In 2018 this was expanded with the addition of a separate time-trial. By 2020 it had grown to cover two short stages plus a time-trial. This expansion also saw the introduction of a women’s red jersey, which was first won by Germany’s Lisa Brennauer.
While it was still a long way from resembling a true Grand Tour, a further day was added to the race in 2021, taking the total number of stages to four. Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten won this expanded edition, and with it the red jersey.
In 2022 the race grew again to span five stages and finished on the same day as the men’s event in Madrid.
The growth of the women’s Vuelta has continued in 2023. This year’s edition was the first under the new name ‘La Vuelta Femenina’, was seven stages long and was held in May to separate it from the men’s race.
While not quite on the scale of the Giro d’Italia Donne or Tour de France Femmes, this development does mean that the Vuelta will finally have a women’s version of comparable scope to its French and Italian equivalents.
3 of the best red jersey moments
While the Vuelta has produced many amazing spectacles since its first edition, we’re going to concentrate on those since 2010, which involved the newly minted red jersey.
Since then, only twice has a Spanish rider won the race and stood on the final podium in the modern red jersey, and on both occasions it was Alberto Contador. Winning in 2012 and again in 2014, he ensured that Spain wouldn’t endure the same psychodrama that consumes France due to the inability of its riders to win their national race.
2010: Vincenzo Nibali and Ezequiel Mosquera slug it out on the Bola del Mundo
The fight for the first ever red jersey was a cracker. Having passed from Mark Cavendish to Philippe Gilbert by the high mountains, the jersey was now established on the shoulders of Vincenzo Nibali. The race’s final climb would be the Bola del Mundo, 21.8km long with an altitude gain of 1,350m.
Nibali had looked shaky on the way up, allowing second-placed Ezequiel Mosquera to attack with 3.5km to go. Surrounded by Spanish fans yelling him on, Mosquera built a gap and looked as if he might ride himself into the overall lead.
However, as the mist closed in on the summit, Nibali was able to chase him down, and while Mosquera took the stage, Nibali would take the first red jersey back home to Italy.
2012: Contador ambushes Rodríguez before the cameras even start rolling
Having just returned from a ban, Alberto Contador had much to prove at the 2012 Vuelta. He was well placed going into the innocuous-looking 17th stage, lying second with a 28-second deficit to race leader Joaquim Rodríguez. By the end of the day, however, he would lead the race by nearly 2 minutes.
When the English-language TV coverage started, commentators initially seemed to believe Contador was chasing back on following a mechanical. Then they realised: he’d attacked alone with 50km to go.
It was a tactical longshot but it paid off perfectly, right down to Contador receiving a short tow from former teammate Paolo Tiralongo, who Contador had previously gifted a stage. By the close of the stage, Contador had a firm hold on the red jersey.
Contador’s ride might seem only moderately remarkable for those who’ve grown up watching Wout van Aert or who recall Chris Froome’s similar move at the 2018 Giro. But at the time, it simply wasn’t the done thing. Add in the unpromising profile of the stage, plus the fact that the move had home fans going bonkers at roadside, and it has all the makings of a classic.
2020: Carthy takes the stage while Carapaz overhauls Roglič on the Alto de l’Angliru
The Alto de l’Angliru has a plausible claim to being the most challenging climb in professional cycling. With ramps of almost 24%, its brutality has provoked protests from riders and managers, the most famous coming from David Millar, who refused to finish a 2002 stage that ended atop the climb. Instead, he removed his number and walked across the line.
It has also produced incredible drama, like when Roberto Heras overhauled Oscar Sevilla to win the race in 2000. Contador’s farewell win ahead of a hard-chasing Froome in 2017 is also worth checking out.
However, we’re going with a more recent appearance. In 2020, Primož Roglič arrived in Spain as the defending champion, having narrowly lost out in the Tour de France to compatriot Tadej Pogačar. After racing into the red jersey on the opening stage, he then ceded it to Richard Carapaz before regaining it four stages later.
Yet on the race’s queen stage, he couldn’t hold onto the Ecuadorian rider. Carapaz’s attack helped keep him in a race that would eventually be decided with an even more spectacular battle between the pair on the final climb.
It wasn’t even for the stage win. British rider Hugh Carthy would finish just ahead of them to claim the distinction of having beating the world’s best climbers on the world’s toughest climb.
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