Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana said Thursday he will not race in the Vuelta a Espana, following his disqualification from the Tour de France for taking a banned pain medication.

The 77th Annual La Vuelta a España will begin this Friday, in Utrecht with a team time trial. This pancake-flat stage will kick off three-days in the Netherlands before circumventing the peloton make their way around Spain before the finale in Madrid.

Colombian Nairo Quintana has been retrospectively disqualified from this year's Tour de France after testing positive for tramadol, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Wednesday.

La Vuelta a España is often one of the most competitive and unpredictable races to wrap the grand tour stretch for 2022. Whether coming back from injury like Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) or Julian Alaphillipe, or pros seeking their first grand tour victory like Michael Woods (Israel – Premier Tech), one thing racing fans may count on is an exciting three weeks of racing in the ever changing weather and steep slopes around Spain.

La Vuelta A España begins this Friday in the Netherlands before the peloton hop on a plane to continue their battle around Spain. The final Grand Tour of the season often favors climbers, but this year with the opening team time trial and a long 30.9 km individual time trial, that may difficult.

The 2022 La Vuelta A España starts on Friday, August 19th and will embark on the 3280.5 km trek around Spain before ending at the Grand Finale in Madrid on September 11.

An ecstatic Annemiek van Vleuten said she was "very proud" to be the winner of the inaugural women's Tour de France after her perfectly judged ride secured her victory in Sunday's eighth, and final, stage.

Dutch veteran Annemiek van Vleuten took the yellow jersey in the women's Tour de France with a crushing performance in the mountains, which powered her to a remarkable solo victory on Saturday's penultimate stage.

Marianne Vos of Team Jumbo-Visma kept a firm grip on the leader's yellow jersey on the women's Tour de France with victory in Friday's sixth stage between Saint-Die-des-Vosges and Rosheim.

Lorena Wiebes demonstrated her impressive sprinting skills with victory in the fifth and longest stage of the women's Tour de France on Thursday in Saint-Die.

Swiss rider Marlen Reusser won the women's Tour de France fourth stage on Wednesday as Dutchwoman Marianne Vos retained the overall leader's yellow jersey in fifth place.

Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig outmuscled Marianne Vos to win stage three of the women's Tour de France on Tuesday, but the veteran Dutch rider held on to the yellow jersey.

Dutch rider Marianne Vos took over the yellow jersey in the women's Tour de France with victory in a three-way sprint to win the second stage from Meaux to Provins on Monday.

Lorena Wiebes outsprinted fellow Dutchwoman Marianne Vos to win the first stage of the new women's Tour de France in Paris on Sunday. Wiebes earned the leader's yellow jersey.

As the men's race finishes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday, the new women's Tour de France takes off with live TV coverage for the first time and ambitions of making the sports' female stars household names.