Along with the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta makes up cycling's prestigious, 3-week-long Grand Tours. The route changes each year, but the format of the race stays the same with the inclusion of at least 2 time trials, the passage through the mountain chain of the Pyrenees, and the finish in the Spanish capital Madrid. The modern editions of the Vuelta a España consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23-day period that includes 2 rest days.
All stages are timed to the finish and after finishing, the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to wear the red jersey. While the general classification garners the most attention, there are other contests held within the Vuelta: the points classification for the sprinters, the mountains classification for the climbers, the combination classification for the all-round riders, and the team classification for the competing teams.
