Five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain expressed regret over the limited number of time trials in the 2020 Vuelta a España and admitted that the short stages were "different from recent cycling," but still praised the route as " dramatic, with some classic climbs like the Tourmalet," he praised.

Next year's race will feature a team time trial as the opening race, while the only individual competition will be a 33.5 km race in Galicia in week 3.

Indurain was one of the stars of the 2020 Vuelta a España presentation, commenting on Spanish television about the stage with former teammate Pedro Delgado.

For Spaniards, the start of the 2020 Vuelta in the Netherlands will evoke some mixed memories. Sjertogenbosch, the start of the second stage, was the start of the 1996 Tour de France and the site of the first defeat of Indurain, who won the overall five years in a row from 1991 to 1995.

The route of the Vuelta a España 2020 has been revealed

There is also an early stage through his home region of Navarra, starting in Pamplona, just a few kilometers from his hometown of Villaba, with a tough climb up San Miguel de Araral and finishing in Recumbelli.

Ourense, the finish line of stage 17, was the site of the 1985 Vuelta a España, where Indurain became the first Grand Tour leader in history and the youngest overall leader in history at age 20.

"It's a shame there will only be one individual time trial in next year's Vuelta, but at least it's an interesting one," Indurain told Cycling News.

"The flat part will be difficult because of the wind. It's very close to the coast, but the spectacular part is the hard climb up Ezaro at the end."

"Will the riders change bikes for that? There will be a lot of debate about what to do with the last part and it could be really important for the GC contenders.

On attacking one of cycling's most mythical climbs, the Tourmalet, at the end of the first week, Indurain said: "I like classic climbs like the Aubisque to come a bit before the stage. In recent years, the Vuelta has been a series of short, small, steep climbs. The stages in the Vuelta are much shorter than they used to be, but like I said, it's a different kind of cycling these days, and coming at the end of the season, it makes sense that the stages are not as long."

Regarding the stage through his hometown of Navarra, Indurain said: "It could be important for the GC. There is the Alate, but San Miguel de Araral is not only a tricky and hard climb, but also a tough and technical descent. Riders must be careful. Such stages are always complicated, especially when they come right after a rest day.