One tree per breakaway kilometer - How a Vuelta a Espana rider is looking to make a difference

The upcoming Vuelta a Espana will be a brutal race, and also one that will host plenty of Spanish riders. Euskaltel-Euskadi will be at the start, and Luis Angel Maté will be racing with an unique goal in mind.

"I wish we had never had to do this initiative, but we must be aware that we have the most beautiful stadium in the world and it is our responsibility to take care of it," the Spaniard said in a post on Instagram. He will be donating 100 trees to his local area of Marbella, and for every kilometer he spends in a breakaway at the Vuelta a Espana, he will donate one tree.

This value will be doubled by the end by both Vuelta organizers and the Basque team which he will be representing. Due to ongoing climate change, southern Spain is more frequently being hit by extreme heat waves and increasingly worrying droughts, and the presence of wildfires have further damaged the landscape of Sierra Bermeja where Maté is specifically looking to reforest.

The Vuelta will start on the 19th of August, and on stage 12 into Estepona - Peñas Blancas the peloton will ride through Marbella in what should be a special day for the 38-year old who will be riding his 11th Vuelta.