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 Ciclista a Costa Rica after they tested positive for the third generation blood booster - EPO-CERA. Overall winner Juan Carlos Rojas (Frijoles Los Tierniticos), third place Cesar Rojas Villalegas, Leandro Varela, Vladimir Fernandez who won stage 4 of the race, Jose Villalobos, Jason Huertas, Jose Irias, Gabriel Marin, Melvin Mora, Kevin Murillo Solano and Jordy Sandoval. Vuelta Ciclista a Costa Rica The Vuelta Ciclista a Costa Rica ("English": Tour of Costa Rica) is a bicycle racing stage race held annually since 1965 in Costa Rica. The men's Vuelta carries a UCI rating of 2.2 and is part of the UCI America Tour, which is