Movistar forced to make changes to Vuelta a Espana due to illness

The Vuelta a Espana is seeing a change in it's lineup. After all teams confirmed their riders for the final Grand Tour of the season, a change had to be made within Movistar Team as Carlos Verona fell ill in the run-up to the race.

Carlos Verona was set to be one of the main support riders for Enric Mas in the mountains. A key figure for the Spanish team in it's home Grand Tour, it is a rather meaningful hit to it's ambitions.

The 30-year old will be replaced by Imanol Erviti. The veteran rider of the Spanish team has been on the startline of a Grand Tour for every year since 2006 and this year seemed to be the one where the streak would end, but no more.

The Vuelta begins this Saturday in Barcelona with a team time-trial but the days following will immediately see uphill action. Mas, after crashing out of the Tour de France, has had no racing and hence is a tricky rider to evaluate at the start of the race where he finished second last year.