Courtesy of Ramón Peco on Flickr.
When the 75th Vuelta a España begins on August 28, it will be one marked by absence. Alberto Contador, the 2008 winner of the Vuelta and 2010 Tour de France winner, and Alejandro Valverde, last year's Vuelta winner, will both be missing from the field, the .
During this Saturday's 10.3-mile opening stage through the streets of Seville, the sun will be gone as well. To celebrate the 75th iteration of the race, organizers decided to hold the its first night stage and to designate the overall leader with a red jersey, a departure from the traditional gold.
Andy Schleck, is widely favored and confident, despite his Tour de France crash. Mark Cavendish, Carlos Sastre, and Denis Menchov are also contenders.
–Riley Blanton