The Vuelta a España has always had something of an image problem.

Mostly, that image surrounds it not being the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia — both of which were established earlier and generally hold more lustre for riders.

It is very much the third-ranked of the three grand tours — the mammoth three-week stage races that test every aspect of a cyclists ability and spirit.

That could change this year though, with no fewer than five grand tour winners in the line-up ahead of a historically tough 3,154-kilometre route.

There are just four flat stages and one individual time trial, with no fewer than nine uphill finishes including the fearsome Col du Tourmalet and Alto de l'Angliru passes.

This race won't be one for the faint-hearted.

A stunning field of grand tour contenders

The leading contenders for this year's Vuelta look like a who's who of recent grand tour winners.

In fact, the winners of four of the last five grand tours are all present, including the last four Vuelta champions, in what could be the greatest collection of general classification contenders for many years.

Four-time grand tour winner and 2020 Tour de France runner up Primož Roglič leads the charge.

The Slovenian, who won the Giro d'Italia earlier this season, has won three of the last four Vuelta titles.

His teammate Jonas Vingegaard is the reigning two-time Tour de France champion and is back at the Vuelta for the first time since 2020 — just five short weeks after one of the most dominant Tour de France wins of the modern era.

Then there's the defending champion, Remco Evenepoel, who appeared set to dominate this year's Giro before COVID caught up with him.

The new world time trial champion might have to use that skill to put as much time as he can between Roglič and Vingegaard, given the later's explosive efforts in the race against the clock in France.

Ineos Grenadiers boast this year's Giro runner up Geraint Thomas, with two-time grand tour winner Egan Bernal also in his team.

Then there are those who have fallen just short in the sport's major events, like three-time Vuelta runner-up Enric Mas, the winner of the young rider classification at the Giro and third-place finisher overall João Almeida, and his Team UAE Emirates colleague, third-place finisher at last year's Vuelta, Juan Ayuso.

In fact, of the nine riders who have stood on a grand tour podium since the 2022 Tour de France, just two — Tadej Pogačar and Adam Yates — are missing from the start line in Barcelona.

"It's going to be a cracking field," 2018 Tour de France winner Thomas said.

"That's what motivates you as well, knowing that all the best guys are going to be there, so the goal is to go and do your best and hopefully come out on top; but it's certainly going to be tough."

An 'ambitious' hat-trick

No one team has ever completed a hat-trick of grand tour titles in a single season — but Jumbo-Visma are putting all their top eggs in the basket to ensure they are the first.

With Roglič and Vingegaard both suiting up for professional cycling's most dominant team, you'd have to say they are odds on to complete what sports director Marc Reef described as "an ambitious goal".

"Vingegaard and Roglič will start the race both as our leaders," Reef said via the Jumbo-Visma website.

"We can field a very versatile and strong eight-man squad.

"The big goal is for one of them [Roglič or Vingegaard] to reach Madrid in the red jersey."

The closest a team has come to having three grand tour wins in a year was 1992, when Miguel Induráin won the Giro and Tour de France, while Pedro Delgado finished third in la Vuelta for Banesto.

Standing among giants

If one of Roglič or Vingegaard were to win the Vuelta, they will join an incredibly exclusive club.

Only 10 men — and one woman — have won two grand tours in the same year, with Chris Froome the most recent with his Tour-Vuelta double in 2017.

Fausto Coppi (twice), Jacques Anquetil (twice) Eddie Merckx (four times), Bernard Hinault (three times), Giovanni Battaglin, Stephen Roache, Miguel Indurain (twice), Marco Pantani, Alberto Contador and Froome are the only male riders to have won two three-week races in the same season.

Spanish legend Contador was the last man to win the Giro-Vuelta double in 2008

The incomparable Dutch legend Annemiek van Vleuten is the only woman to win the Giro Donne and Tour de France Femmes in the same year.

She also won this year's La Vuelta Femenina back in May, becoming the first woman to win all three of the women's grand tours.

What of the Aussies?

Although grand tour ambitions may have to be put on hold this time around, Australia does have plenty of interest in this year's race.

Michael Storer of Groupama FDJ, who won the week-long Tour de l'Ain for the second time earlier this year, will be looking to add to his two Vuelta stage wins, as will UAE Team Emirates star Jay Vine — if he is allowed off the leash as support for Almedia and Ayuso.