1984 1984 Vuelta a España The 39th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 17 to May 6, 1984. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,593 km, and was won by Éric Caritoux of the Skil-Sem cycling team...  << Vuelta a España 1985 >> 1986 1986 Vuelta a España The 41st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 22 to May 13, 1986. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3,666 km, and was won by Álvaro Pino of the Zor cycling team....
Classifications	19 etapas, 3474 km
General	Pedro Delgado Pedro Delgado Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....  95:58:00 h
Points	Sean Kelly Seán Kelly (cyclist) John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...  223 p.
Mountains	José Luis Laguía José Luis Laguía José Luis Laguía Martínez is a retired Spanish cyclist. A climber, he won a record five mountains classifications at the Vuelta a España during his career.-References:* at Cycling Archives**...  85 p.
Teams	Zor - Gemeaz 287:57:06 h

The 40th Vuelta a España

Vuelta a España

The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

(Tour of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

), a long-distance bicycle

Bicycle racing

Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...

 stage

Stage (bicycle race)

In sports, a stage, or leg, or heat, is a unit of a race which has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages are held as an individual time trial or a...

 race and one of the 3 grand tours

Grand Tour (cycling)

In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races:* Tour de France – Tour of France , held in July* Giro d'Italia – Tour of Italy , held in May...

, was held from 23 April to 12 May 1985. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,474 km, and was won by Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....

 of the Orbea cycling team

Cycling team

A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether recreational or professional - and the supporting personnel...

.

The Spanish favourites for the general classification of the race were Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....

, Faustino Rupérez

Faustino Ruperez

Faustino Rupérez Rincón is a retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1979 and 1985...

 and Pello Ruiz Cabestany

Pello Ruiz Cabestany

Pello Ruiz Cabestany is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.- Palmarès :198019841985...

 and the potential foreign favourites included Sean Kelly

Seán Kelly (cyclist)

John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...

, Eric Caritoux

Éric Caritoux

Éric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...

, Peter Winnen

Peter Winnen

Peter Johannes Gertrudis Winnen is a Dutch former road racing cyclist. He was professional from 1980 until 1991. Among his 14 victories were two stages at Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France and a national championship. He came third in the Tour de France in 1983.-Results:1981...

 and Gianbattista Baronchelli

Gianbattista Baronchelli

Gianbattista Baronchelli is an Italian retired professional road racing cyclist . He obtained a total of 94 victories....

. A young Miguel Indurain

Miguel Indurain

Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...

 took the lead early in the race. Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....

 won the stage to the Lagos de Covadonga. Delgado lost the lead the following day and Scot Robert Millar

Robert Millar

Robert Millar is a former Scottish professional cyclist who won the “King of the Mountains” competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall – sharing the highest Tour position for a British cyclist with Bradley Wiggins, and the first time a Briton had won a major Tour...

 took the lead after the tenth stage. Entering the second last stage Millar only had to keep an eye on Colombian Rodriguez who was only ten seconds down on Millar and Cabestany who was a minute behind. However when Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado

Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....

 attacked after Millar returned to the front group after a puncture there was, what has since been referred to as a collusion

Collusion

Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage...

 between the rival Spanish teams to ensure that Delgado made up the six minutes on the general classification to Millar and take the lead. The Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n Rodriguez was instructed by his manager not to assist in bridging up to Delgado and saw his chances of a Vuelta win disappear. Millar who was isolated from Peugeot

Peugeot (cycling team)

Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...

 teammates was powerless to try to reduce the deficit to Delgado as he was surrounded by riders who would not cooperate in the chase. It has been said that Millar's team manager should have bought the support of other teams. Delgado took the jersey that evening and won the Vuelta the following day with Millar a narrow 36 seconds behind him.

In 1985 and 1986, a national team of the communist Soviet Union participated in the Vuelta. At the time, it was unusual for Soviet riders to participate in professional races.

1985 also saw the participation of the first U.S. professional team sponsored by Rank-Xerox and managed by Robin Morton

Robin Morton (cycling)

Robin Morton is an American former cycling team manager and was the first and only female manager in mens professional cycling. She also created the first Union Cycliste Internationale registered American professional road racing team in 1984. Cycling in Europe is a traditionally male sport and...

, the first woman to manage a men's professional cycling team.

General classification (final)

Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Pedro Delgado Pedro Delgado Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....	Orbea	95h58'00"
2	Robert Millar Robert Millar Robert Millar is a former Scottish professional cyclist who won the “King of the Mountains” competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall – sharing the highest Tour position for a British cyclist with Bradley Wiggins, and the first time a Briton had won a major Tour...	Peugeot-Shell-Michelin Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...	'36"
3	Francisco Rodríguez	Zor	'46"
4	Pello Ruiz Cabestany Pello Ruiz Cabestany Pello Ruiz Cabestany is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.- Palmarès :198019841985...	Orbea	1'51"
5	Fabio Parra Fabio Parra Fabio Enrique Parra Pinto is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. Parra was successful as an amateur in Colombia, winning the Novatos classification for new riders or riders riding their first edition of the race, and finishing 14th in the 1979 Vuelta a Colombia and then the General...	Café de Colombia Café de Colombia Café de Colombia was a Colombian based professional road bicycle racing Cycling team active from 1985 to 1990. The team was sponsored by the Colombian coffee growers Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia....	3'40"
6	Eric Caritoux Éric Caritoux Éric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...	Skil-Sem-Reydel Skil-Sem (cycling team) Skil-Sem was a French professional cycling team which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric...	6'08"
7	Raimund Dietzen	Teka	6'36"
8	Álvaro Pino Alvaro Pino Álvaro Pino Couñago is a former professional road racing cyclist from Spain who raced between 1981 through 1991 and is most famous for winning the overall title at the 1986 Vuelta a España over favorites Robert Millar from Great Britain, Laurent Fignon from France and Sean Kelly from Ireland...	Zor	7'41"
9	Sean Kelly Seán Kelly (cyclist) John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...	Skil-Sem-Reydel Skil-Sem (cycling team) Skil-Sem was a French professional cycling team which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric...	7'52"
10	José Luis Navarro	Zor	8'56"
11	Julián Gorospe Julián Gorospe Julián Gorospe Artabe is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. He was also the directeur sportif of Euskaltel-Euskadi between 1998 and 2006.- Palmarès :19771981...	Reynolds
12	Celestino Prieto Rodriguez	Reynolds
13	Gerard Veldscholten Gerard Veldscholten Gerard Veldscholten is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer.- Palmarès :198019821983...	Panasonic
14	Pascal Simon Pascal Simon Pascal Simon is a retired French road racing cyclist. A native of Mesnil St. Loup, he was a professional cyclist from 1979 to 1991. Pascal was the oldest of four brothers that all became professional cyclists: Régis, Jerôme and François.In 1983, Simon obtained the yellow jersey while riding for...	Peugeot-Shell-Michelin Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:...
15	Pierre Bazzo	Fagor
16	Juan Tomas Martinez Gutierrez	Hueso-Motta
17	Antonio Coll Pontanilla	Teka
18	Vicente Belda Vicente Belda -External links:...	Kelme-Merckx
19	Faustino Ruperez Rincon	Zor
20	Ivan Ivanov	Soviet National Team
21	Ignacio Gaston Crespo Iñaki Gastón Iñaki Gastón Crespo is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer.- Major results :1984 - ReynoldsIñaki Gastón Crespo is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer....	Reynolds
22	Angel de las Heras	Hueso-Motta
23	Martín Ramírez Martín Ramírez (cyclist) Martín Alonso Ramírez Ramírez is a Colombian former road bicycle racer.-External links:*...	Café de Colombia Café de Colombia Café de Colombia was a Colombian based professional road bicycle racing Cycling team active from 1985 to 1990. The team was sponsored by the Colombian coffee growers Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia....
24	Dominique Garde	Skil-Sem-Reydel Skil-Sem (cycling team) Skil-Sem was a French professional cycling team which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric...
25	Gilles Mas	Skil-Sem-Reydel Skil-Sem (cycling team) Skil-Sem was a French professional cycling team which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric...