1973 Vuelta a España to win the 1973 Giro d'Italia and became the first cyclist to win the Vuelta-Giro double. Merckx also won the points classification and José Luis Abilleira won the mountains classification. With Merckx finishing first, Ocaña second and Thévenet third the podium of the 1973 Vuelta contained one previous winner and two future winners of the Tour de France making it one of the best podiums in the history of the race, according to the official race website. Gerben Karstens won 4 stages in this Vuelta A total of eight teams were invited to participate in the 1973 Vuelta a España.
Vuelta a Extremadura Vuelta a Extremadura The Tour of Extremadura (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista Internacional a Extremadura or Vuelta a Extremadura) was an annual multiple stage bicycle race in Spain, visiting the main towns of the Extremadura region. Beginning as an amateur event in 1987, it became part of the professional UCI Europe Tour in 2005, and was last run in 2011. The first race took place in 1987, although it did not become a regular event until 2002. It was restricted to amateurs until the creation of the Continental Circuits UCI in 2005, when it became part of the professional circuit of the