Movistar team manager Eusebio Unzué and veteran rider Alejandro Valverde reacted to the unveiling of the 2017 Vuelta a España parcours on Thursday, both agreeing that challenging stages in the first week should see a climber-friendly GC battle get underway early in the race.
"An early look at the route makes us happy, especially with the fact that there's a TTT, which should never be missed on Grand Tours," Unzué said via a Movistar press release. "It's a good way to kick off with a route that starts ramping up right from the start, with the climbs of La Rabassa and La Comella into the Andorra stage and those three mountain-top finishes in Valencia before the first race day. You feel like the race will get exciting from the very start."
The climbing doesn't let up from there, with nine total summit finishes on the docket for the 2017 Vuelta.
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"I feel like it's a Vuelta route even harder than in previous occasions, and I'm sure it'll be spectacular," Unzué said.
Valverde, who was forced to skip the presentation after a training crash Wednesday, also spoke to the difficulty of the route, while offering praise for the overall design.
“It looks like a really demanding Vuelta a España. Some people will probably say they shot completely off the mark, and for those like us who are suffering it on the bike it will be even more of a challenge, but I understand and prefer to have it this way. At the end of the day, fans want spectacle, and with this route, I'm confident the race will be really attractive for them," he said.
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