The Tour embraces September as a lifeguard and separates the Vuelta from its natural habitat, which gladly accepts the move because it knows, like the rest of the events on the calendar, that without the Tour nothing makes sense. Less than in a year that the health crisis has left orphan of the Olympic Games, Euro Cup, Wimbledon, ... The Tour, beyond the most important cycling event in the world, has to be a symbol of sport, of the resurrection of the world even. Therefore, two days after France prevented its dispute on the scheduled dates, the UCI rewrote its entire calendar. The gala round will be held between August 29 and September 20; later, after the World Cups (September 20-27), the Giro d'Italia will do so ; And, predictably already in November, the Tour of Spain will put the finishing touch to the most atypical season that cycling has never known, which in no case will resume before August 1.

"It has been a relief for all of us, the message that we were wishing to receive, that we will be able to run this year whatever, if it can be four months better than three", shares, on the other end of the phone, Eusebio Unzué , the general director of the Movistar team, and his counterpart in the UAE Team, Josean Fernández Matxin , agrees with him: "We must find solutions and if this is the most appropriate, it seems perfect to me, God's."

Also, said, the Vuelta shows its satisfaction, despite the cataract of problems that lie ahead to move everything that was planned for the end of summer to autumn. From large organizational issues to smaller ones, such as the impossibility of using schools in October or November to house press and other rooms. In the Spanish round they do not want to venture with dates and they warn that nothing can be taken for granted. Not even that it will be held after the Giro, despite the fact that the UCI indicated so yesterday. "Everything is in the air and there are multiple possibilities on the table," they warn.

At the moment, however, it is most likely that the Vuelta will begin at the end of October and submerge in November, with the problems that this entails in a journey that this year crosses four countries and that mainly passes through the northern third of the peninsula. "I don't think any port over 1,200 meters can be promoted in November. The Tourmalet, for example, seems almost unfeasible to me, "says Matxin.

Climb L'Angliru in November

The first snows of autumn will be a threat in the great summits, but also the cold, since it is not the same to go up to Angliru or La Covatilla in September than in November. “Going to November is going to take us to take those risks, but anything seems acceptable to me in exchange for what it would mean to be there. We have to be prepared to make overexertions and be in solidarity, to help each other between the different levels: the organizers to the teams, the teams to the riders and the runners to the organizers », warns Unzué.

"The Vuelta technicians are very professional and will change whatever is necessary," says José Luis de Santos , former national coach and president of the Association of Professional Cyclists, with confidence. And Unzué closes: «Maybe the big laps have to think about reducing the number of stages, we'll see. The important thing is that we compete again, because it will mean that we have turned this situation around that we are all experiencing. "

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