| 2001 Vuelta a España | |
| Stages: | 21 |
| Distance: | 3012.2 |
| Unit: | km |
| Time: | 70h 49' 05" |
| First: | Ángel Casero |
| First Nat: | ESP |
| First Color: | gold |
| Second: | Óscar Sevilla |
| Second Nat: | ESP |
| Third: | Levi Leipheimer |
| Third Nat: | USA |
| Points: | José María Jiménez |
| Points Nat: | ESP |
| Points Color: | orange |
| Mountains: | José María Jiménez |
| Mountains Nat: | ESP |
| Mountains Color: | granatewhite |
| Sprints: | César García Calvo |
| Sprints Nat: | ESP |
| Sprints Color: | greenwhite |
| Previous: | 2000 |
| Next: | 2002 |
The 56th edition of the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance stage race and one of the three Grand Tours, was held from 8 September to 30 September 2001. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3012km (1,872miles), and was won by Ángel Casero of the cycling team at a speed of 42.534km/h.
This edition of the Vuelta was notable for its final-stage time trial, during which Casero overcame a 25-second lead held by Óscar Sevilla of to win, while American Levi Leipheimer of managed to move past both teammate Roberto Heras and Juan Miguel Mercado to take third and become the first American ever to achieve a podium finish in the Vuelta. Additionally, Guido Trenti became the first American ever to win a stage in the race.[1]
See main article: List of teams and cyclists in the 2001 Vuelta a España.
A total of 21 teams were invited to participate in the 2001 Vuelta a España. Fifteen of the competing squads were UCI Division I teams, while the other six teams were UCI Division II. Mercury–Viatel, who were previously scheduled to ride, didn't start. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, so the Vuelta began with a peloton of 189 cyclists, a total of 139 riders made it to the finish in Madrid.
The 21 teams invited to the race were:
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 September | Salamanca | 12km (07miles) | Individual time trial | ||||
| 2 | 9 September | Salamanca to Valladolid | 147.2km (91.5miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 3 | 10 September | Valladolid to León | 140.5km (87.3miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 4 | 11 September 2001 | León to Gijón | 175km (109miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 5 | 12 September | Gijón to Lagos de Covadonga | 160.8km (99.9miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 6 | 13 September | Cangas de Onís to Torrelavega | 180.6km (112.2miles) | Medium-mountain stage | ||||
| 7 | 14 September | Torrelavega | 44.2km (27.5miles) | Individual time trial | ||||
| 8 | 15 September | Reinosa to Alto de la Cruz de la Demanda (Valdezcaray) | 195km (121miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 9 | 16 September | Logroño to Zaragoza | 179.2km (111.3miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 17 September | Province of Barcelona | Rest day | ||||||
| 10 | 18 September | Sabadell to La Molina | 168.4km (104.6miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 11 | 19 September | Alp to Estació de Pal (Andorra) | 154.2km (95.8miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 12 | 20 September | Ordino to Estació d'Esquí d'Ordino-Alcalís (Andorra) | 17.1km (10.6miles) | Mountain time trial | ||||
| 13 | 21 September | Andorra to Universal Studios Port Aventura | 206km (128miles) | Hilly stage | ||||
| 14 | 22 September | Tarragona to Vinaròs | 170.5km (105.9miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 15 | 23 September | Valencia to Alto de Aitana | 207.2km (128.7miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 24 September | Province of Valencia | Rest day | ||||||
| 16 | 25 September | Alcoy to Murcia | 153.3km (95.3miles) | Hilly stage | ||||
| 17 | 26 September | Murcia to Albacete | 159.5km (99.1miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 18 | 27 September | Albacete to Cuenca | 154.2km (95.8miles) | Flat stage | ||||
| 19 | 28 September | Cuenca to Guadalajara | 168km (104miles) | Hilly stage | ||||
| 20 | 29 September | Guadalajara to Alto de Abantos | 176.3km (109.5miles) | Mountain stage | ||||
| 21 | 30 September | Madrid | 38km (24miles) | Individual time trial | ||||
| Total | 3012.2km (1,871.7miles) | |||||||
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denotes the winner of the general classification | Denotes the leader of the mountains classification | |||
| Denotes the leader of the points classification | Denotes the winner of the sprints classification | |||
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | + 0' 47" | |||
| DSQ | ||||
| 4 | + 3' 56" | |||
| 5 | + 5' 45" | |||
| 6 | + 5' 53" | |||
| 7 | + 6' 57" | |||
| 8 | + 7' 13" | |||
| 9 | + 8' 32" | |||
| 10 | + 10' 31" |
| Final general classification (11–25) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | + 12' 58" | ||
| 12 | + 13' 32" | ||
| 13 | + 14' 00" | ||
| 14 | + 20' 07" | ||
| 15 | + 21' 01" | ||
| 16 | + 23' 32" | ||
| 17 | + 24' 23" | ||
| 18 | + 25' 01" | ||
| 19 | + 27' 14" | ||
| 20 | + 27' 58" | ||
| 21 | + 28' 56" | ||
| 22 | + 33' 30" | ||
| 23 | + 34' 03" | ||
| 24 | + 38' 45" | ||
| 25 | + 39' 06" | ||
| Rider | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 130 | |||
| 2 | 125 | |||
| DSQ | ||||
| 4 | 102 | |||
| 5 | 101 | |||
| DSQ | ||||
| 7 | 89 | |||
| 8 | 88 | |||
| 9 | 77 | |||
| 10 | 70 |
| Rider | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 162 | |||
| 2 | 110 | |||
| 3 | 88 | |||
| 4 | 82 | |||
| 5 | 55 | |||
| 6 | 53 | |||
| 7 | 50 | |||
| 8 | 49 | |||
| 9 | 48 | |||
| 10 | 42 |
| Rider | Team | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | |||
| 2 | 20 | |||
| 3 | 19 | |||
| 4 | 16 | |||
| 5 | 14 | |||
| 6 | 12 | |||
| 7 | 12 | |||
| 8 | 12 | |||
| 9 | 11 | |||
| 10 | 11 |
| Team | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 212h 05' 24" | ||
| 2 | + 23' 47" | ||
| 3 | + 26' 08" | ||
| 4 | + 1h 01' 11" | ||
| 5 | + 1h 03' 31" | ||
| 6 | + 1h 36' 55" | ||
| 7 | + 1h 53' 28" | ||
| 8 | + 1h 54' 12" | ||
| 9 | + 2h 08' 36" | ||
| 10 | + 2h 24' 36" |