There are many battles unfolding in the Vuelta a España, from the pursuit of stage victories to the contest for prized jerseys and of course the overall victory, but no matter the task or aim and the success or failure of steps toward it on any given day a key priority that always looms large is making it through to fight on for another day.
Last year 49 riders lost that battle and abandoned the race along the way, for a myriad of reasons. Prominent among them at any Grand Tour are illness – with COVID-19 in particular taking a heavy toll at the 2022 race – and just hours before the race began the first case emerged among the start list, with Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) forced to pull out with the coronavirus, but fortunately for his team it doesn't count as an abandon as there was still time for Italian climber Simone Petilli could take his place.
