<figure ><img title="Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde" src="http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/08/Nairo-Quintana-and-Alejandro-Valverde-320x213.jpg"/><p>Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde headline Movistar's Vuelta a Espana lineup. Photo: Tim De Waele | <a href="http://www.tdwsport.com" target="_blank">TDWsport.com</a></p></figure><p>Motivation to suffer could be the deciding factor in the Spanish grand tour that clicks into gear Saturday in Andalucía.</p>
<p>Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana lead a powerful Movistar squad for the Vuelta a España, and team boss Eusebio Unzué admits that nothing is guaranteed in the season’s third grand tour at the tail end of a long and successful season.</p>
<p>Quintana and Valverde, hot off second and third, respectively, at the Tour de France, will start the Vuelta as favorites, but Unzué puts an asterisk next to all the major names.</p>
<p>“The biggest challenge lies in the motivation,” Unzué said Monday as Movistar confirmed its Vuelta lineup. “[Valverde and Quintana] arrive to the Vuelta after very successful seasons, having fulfilled their goals without any major setbacks. The responsibility to perform is a ‘pressure’ that always exists.”</p>
<p>The Vuelta’s drawing an elite field, with the top riders from both the Tour and Giro d’Italia, while defending champion Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) is the lone top rider skipping the Vuelta. Giro podium riders Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa lead a strong Astana squad co-captained by 2014 Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali. Add Chris Froome (Sky), and the Vuelta arguably has the best GC field of the season.</p>
<p>Against such a deep, but potentially weary field, Unzué said nothing can be taken for granted, especially on a race set against a challenging route with eight mountaintop finales.</p>
<p>“Everyone will be racing in similar conditions,” Unzué continued. “Logically, it’s more difficult for the riders coming off the Tour because there is less time for recovery. … [the riders] have the maturity to take on a second grand tour so soon.”</p>
<p>The big question for Movistar will be which rider the team will designate as outright GC captain. At the beginning of the season, the rough plan was to ride the Tour for Quintana, and the Vuelta for Valverde. There were some whispers that Quintana did not want to race the Vuelta, but sponsors encouraged the Colombian’s presence. Valverde, meanwhile, exceeded expectations at the Tour, reaching the podium for the first time of his career.</p>
<p>Both could do well, but as Unzué hinted, it could all come down to a question of drive and ambition.<br /> Making things even harder will be a challenging course, with eight new summit finales and the first half of the race taking place across the heat of southern Spain.</p>
<p>“It’s a Vuelta exaggeratedly new with its summit finales, with the hardest part in the north and Andorra. And with the heat of Andalucía, and for sure, the peloton will arrive very weary to the first rest day,” Unzué said. “It’s only from then that things will start to be decided.”</p>
<h2>Movistar for the 70th Vuelta a España</h2>
<p>Alejandro Valverde (Sp)<br />Nairo Quintana (Col)<br />Andrey Amador (CR)<br />Rory Sutherland (Aus)<br />Javi Moreno (Sp)<br />Imanol Erviti (Sp)<br />Fran Ventoso (Sp)<br />José Joaquín Rojas (Sp)<br />Giovanni Visconti (I)</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/08/news/motivation-key-for-movistar-duo-valverde-quintana-at-vuelta_381522">‘Motivation’key for Movistar duo Valverde, Quintana at Vuelta</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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<p>Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana lead a powerful Movistar squad for the Vuelta a España, and team boss Eusebio Unzué admits that nothing is guaranteed in the season’s third grand tour at the tail end of a long and successful season.</p>
<p>Quintana and Valverde, hot off second and third, respectively, at the Tour de France, will start the Vuelta as favorites, but Unzué puts an asterisk next to all the major names.</p>
<p>“The biggest challenge lies in the motivation,” Unzué said Monday as Movistar confirmed its Vuelta lineup. “[Valverde and Quintana] arrive to the Vuelta after very successful seasons, having fulfilled their goals without any major setbacks. The responsibility to perform is a ‘pressure’ that always exists.”</p>
<p>The Vuelta’s drawing an elite field, with the top riders from both the Tour and Giro d’Italia, while defending champion Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) is the lone top rider skipping the Vuelta. Giro podium riders Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa lead a strong Astana squad co-captained by 2014 Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali. Add Chris Froome (Sky), and the Vuelta arguably has the best GC field of the season.</p>
<p>Against such a deep, but potentially weary field, Unzué said nothing can be taken for granted, especially on a race set against a challenging route with eight mountaintop finales.</p>
<p>“Everyone will be racing in similar conditions,” Unzué continued. “Logically, it’s more difficult for the riders coming off the Tour because there is less time for recovery. … [the riders] have the maturity to take on a second grand tour so soon.”</p>
<p>The big question for Movistar will be which rider the team will designate as outright GC captain. At the beginning of the season, the rough plan was to ride the Tour for Quintana, and the Vuelta for Valverde. There were some whispers that Quintana did not want to race the Vuelta, but sponsors encouraged the Colombian’s presence. Valverde, meanwhile, exceeded expectations at the Tour, reaching the podium for the first time of his career.</p>
<p>Both could do well, but as Unzué hinted, it could all come down to a question of drive and ambition.<br /> Making things even harder will be a challenging course, with eight new summit finales and the first half of the race taking place across the heat of southern Spain.</p>
<p>“It’s a Vuelta exaggeratedly new with its summit finales, with the hardest part in the north and Andorra. And with the heat of Andalucía, and for sure, the peloton will arrive very weary to the first rest day,” Unzué said. “It’s only from then that things will start to be decided.”</p>
<h2>Movistar for the 70th Vuelta a España</h2>
<p>Alejandro Valverde (Sp)<br />Nairo Quintana (Col)<br />Andrey Amador (CR)<br />Rory Sutherland (Aus)<br />Javi Moreno (Sp)<br />Imanol Erviti (Sp)<br />Fran Ventoso (Sp)<br />José Joaquín Rojas (Sp)<br />Giovanni Visconti (I)</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/08/news/motivation-key-for-movistar-duo-valverde-quintana-at-vuelta_381522">‘Motivation’key for Movistar duo Valverde, Quintana at Vuelta</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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