Roglic made his debut in the Vuelta in 2019 and immediately took the overall victory. In the autumn of 2020, the Slovenian repeated this feat, joining the select group of riders who won the Spanish race two times in a row.

The 2021 edition will begin and end with a time trial. The riders will be presented an uphill finish in the third stage. Besides Roglic, Team Jumbo-Visma brings Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss, Nathan Van Hooydonck, Sam Oomen, Lennard Hofstede and Koen Bouwman to the start in Burgos.

For Bouwman it will be his third participation in the Vuelta a España. Through a preparation at altitude in Tignes, the 27-year-old rider prepared for his second grand tour of the year. Earlier this season Bouwman finished twelfth in the standings of the Giro d’Italia. “We had a very good training camp in Tignes. There was a good atmosphere and we were able to train well. Last year I would actually already ride two grand tours, but the corona crisis threw a spanner in the works. I am really looking forward to start in the Vuelta. I am curious if I can reach the same high level as I displayed in the Giro d’Italia, earlier this year. That performance has given me a lot of morale. I have trained hard to be good at the start of this Vuelta.”

In his first two years as a professional cyclist, in 2016 and 2017, Bouwman was also at the start of the Vuelta. Now, four years later, he is there again. “I have developed as a rider compared to then. Since my professional debut I have been able to ride a grand tour every season. I remember very well that I was very tired during my first grand tour in 2016. I can’t remember much of the discussions in the bus before the start. I was sleeping and the team made me sleep because I was so exhausted. After stage eight I didn’t understand how it can be possible to ride twenty-one stages. Those are nice things that I still think about now and then. In recent years we have been competing for the podium or the win in almost every major stage race. I think that is pretty special. This year I am with Primoz to help him in the high mountains. We have a strong team, especially uphill. But in the beginning the Vuelta is fairly flat with a chance of echelons. It is also important to keep the team well in front at that part of the race. After that we can focus more and more on the mountains.”

Like Bouwman, sports director Grischa Niermann is aware that his team has strong riders at the start. “We have a very strong team. Sepp and Steven have a free role. Sam, Koen, Lennard and Robert are our men for the mountains, while Nathan is the most important link on the flat. The whole team will support and protect our leader Primoz. We are looking forward to the start in Burgos.”