If there is one classification in the world made for attackers, it is the mountain classification in the Vuelta a Espana. Just about every time this jersey is worn in Madrid by an attacker—eliminated from the classification or not—it makes it one of the most difficult jerseys to predict. Nevertheless, we are going to try to do just that at IDLProCycling!
Latest winners mountain classification Vuelta a España
2023 Remco Evenepoel
2022 Richard Carapaz
2021 Michael Storer
2020 Guillaume Martin
2019 Geoffrey Bouchard
2018 Thomas De Gendt
2017 Davide Villella
2016 Omar Fraile
2015 Omar Fraile
2014 Luis Leon Sanchez
Favorites mountain classification Vuelta a España 2024
This list was compiled based on the opinions of (former) editorial board members of IDLProCycling, who submitted their top ten contenders.
David Gaudu - Groupama-FDJ
We start our list with a man who needs this Vuelta to make some difference in his season: David Gaudu of Groupama-FDJ. The climber is experiencing a challenging year after coming right in through the front door in recent years. In terms of major tours, that started in the 2020 Vuelta, where he won two stages.
Gaudu might take the polka dot jersey on behalf of the Groupama-FDJ team, which is so troubled at the Tour. We saw it was still possible last year, for example, on the Col de la Couillole in Paris-Nice. There, he finished between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
Felix Gall - Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
Speaking of true climbers, Felix Gall is one. The Austrian rider from Decathlon AG2R will start the Vuelta a Espana with stage win ambitions but will also want to place himself in a classification: if not in the general classification, then at least in the battle for the polka dot jersey.
Gall finally broke through in last season's Tour de France with a stage win in the queen stage but had a more challenging time in this year's Tour de France. As such, he has yet to find that one outlier in the Tour of Spain.
Primoz Roglic - Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Primoz Roglic has won the Vuelta a Espana three times already but has never been the best in the mountain classification, just to show how difficult it is as a classification rider to take home the polka dot in the Spanish round. Not that the Slovenian will lose any sleep over it, as such a jersey feels like the consolation prize of consolation prizes for someone with his palmares.
The leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe wants to win the Vuelta, but he has to be faster at the finish line than his competitors. Then, you grab mountain points. In 2021, he finished third in the mountain classification, his best result.
Adam Yates - UAE Team Emirates
Adam Yates is possibly the best climber of this Vuelta a Espana, but he also fully aims for the GC in the three-week stage race. However, the UAE-Team Emirates Briton did not always succeed in the past, and then he could go for stages.
However, UAE-Team Emirates is a team that will never be concerned with whether or not it will win the mountain classification, so this is also a B-grade race for Yates and his men.
Sepp Kuss - Visma | Lease a Bike
The defending champion of the Vuelta a Espana listens to the name Sepp Kuss and rides for Visma | Lease a Bike, but will also give his all for a good classification. Still, Kuss is a bit more out of the pure climber genre, so he should unexpectedly lose time somewhere.
In that case, the mountain classification could become a goal, but there might be other prizes for the multi-million dollar team Visma | Lease a Bike. Last year, he finished sixth in the polka dot jersey ranking.
Valentin Paret-Peintre - Decathlon AG2R
Valentin Paret-Peintre is the second man from Decathlon AG2R on this list, not to mention former winner Geoffrey Bouchard. To say what kind of climbing team the French team is making the trip to Lisbon with. So Ben O'Connor is not shy of support, but the team also has several assets for the mountain classification.
Paret-Peintre already won a stage in this year's Giro d'Italia and will be transferring to Remco Evenepoel's Soudal Quick-Step after this season, so a polka-dot jersey would be a nice farewell gift for his team, Decathlon AG2R.
Lorenzo Fortunato - Astana Qazaqstan Team
We know Lorenzo Fortunato of the Astana Qazaqstan Team as an attacking climber, but these days, he is increasingly aiming for classifications as well, whether or not prompted by his team, where the need for UCI points is incredibly high.
That way, a fourteenth place is worth more than a ticket for the mountain classification. Fortunato is in good shape: last week, he finished second to Kuss in the queen stage of Burgos.
Oier Lazkano - Movistar
Oier Lazkano made a goal for the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France on behalf of Movistar. Still, the pure-bred striker ultimately had to give way to outright climbers like Richard Carapaz and Tadej Pogacar. For him, the Vuelta a Espana is a question of new round, new chances. He has better chances, too, because in terms of type, you can compare him to, for example, two-time winner Omar Fraile.
Lazkano has a vicious acceleration uphill and can rack up many points, but the real high mountains might be a bit too high. In the final week, the Vuelta arrives in his hometown in the Basque Country, which may be an extra motivation.
Richard Carapaz - EF Education-EasyPost
If you have just won the highly desirable KOM classification in the Tour de France, you are a solid candidate for the blue variety in the Vuelta a Espana. As such, EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz has more than earned his spot on this list.
The Ecuadorian climber already won the jersey in 2022 but has set his sights on another jersey: the red jersey as leader of the Vuelta. Carapaz expressed his absolute ambition to achieve overall victory, which is secondary to the mountain classification.
Giulio Ciccone - Lidl-Trek
He already has the mountain jersey in the Giro and Tour, so the Vuelta is yet to come. Giulio Ciccone is seen as the contender for the mountain classification in the Vuelta a Espana. The climber from Abruzzo tackled this year's Tour de France as a classification test but is now back for his old role: stage hunter, which often includes going for the mountain jersey.
At Lidl-Trek, he may have to support guys like Mattias Skjelmose and Tao Geoghegan Hart, but the team also has other guys for that. Forza Giulio!
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