Chris Froome has eye on history but Vuelta a España could spring surprises | William Fotheringham
(The Guardian Sports News)

No one has won Tour de France and Vuelta in same year since it switched dates and Chris Froome is taking nothing for granted in race that he calls brutalIt is 22 years since the Vuelta a España was shifted from its late April slot in the calendar to its current position after the Tour de France with the world championships on the horizon. The notion then - propounded by the architect of the move, the late Hein Verbruggen - was that the race would be a post-Tour revenge match, where the riders who had slipped up in France could try to salvage their seasons.It has taken a while but that is now how the Vuelta looks, partly because Team Sky´s dominance of the Tour since 2012 - five wins from a possible six - has meant Grand Tour specialists have frequently been disappointed in recent seasons, and thus have no option but to look to Spain for redemption. Continue reading...