The1988 Vuelta a España was the 43rd EditionVuelta a España, taking place from 25 April to 15 May 1988. It was a bicycle race which consisted of 20 stages over 3,425 km (2,128 mi), ridden at an average speed of 38.506 km/h (23.927 mph).Sean Kelly started the race as the principal favourite after performance in the1987 Vuelta a España in which he was leading theGeneral classification with several days remaining in the race when he was forced to withdraw due to injury.Luis "Lucho" Herrera returned to defend his title while 1985 Vuelta winnerPedro Delgado had decided to ride the1988 Giro d'Italia in preparation for the1988 Tour de France. The BH team directed by Javier Mínguez, presented solid opposition with the strong climbersÁlvaro Pino (winner of the1986 Vuelta a España) andAnselmo Fuerte. In the end, Kelly won the race and became the firstIrish winner of theVuelta a España, completing a hat-trick of consecutive Irish Grand Tour victories:Stephen Roche having won the1987 Giro d'Italia and the1987 Tour de France.[1]
^"Clasificaciones" [Classifications](PDF).El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo S.A. 16 May 1988. p. 52.Archived(PDF) from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved27 May 2012.
Álvaro Pino
Sean Kelly
Mathieu Hermans
Benny Van Brabant
