I almost forgot...the Vuelta starts on Saturday

You know something, I was going to wait until Monday before I wrote again and in doing so review everything we've seen at the Olympics so far, but then I remembered the Vuelta a Espana starts this weekend. Yes...and who knew? So a few words on that seem crucial.

It has completely flown under the radar, or perhaps it is I who has simply moved in under a rock with the Olympics being on. It's the only thing that has been on my television each night and it's about the only thing I'm doing any serious reading on during the day. With the track cycling thrilling us and the BMX now underway and the mountain biking still to come this weekend, I completely forgot about the Vuelta.

I think in the back of my mind I knew it was coming up and I think this past weekend I seen something about it starting next weekend, but I kind of left it slip back out of my mind until just now when I was flicking through Twitter and seen that the team presentations were underway. Yes, another Grand Tour is upon us and it gets underway in two days time.

It's surreal in a way to think that there riders at this Vuelta who have already been and returned from Rio. Take someone like Chris Froome who since the beginning of the summer -- a summer in which I've done minimal cycling, plenty of drinking and lots of relaxing -- has spent three weeks racing around France to victory, has gone and done the ride London in England at the very end of July (others like him done the Classica San Sebastian in Spain), flown to Rio for the road-race on August 6, stuck around to take bronze in the time-trial on August 10, and has flown back across the Atlantic to Spain to get himself ready for the Vuelta.

Such is the life of a professional cyclist.

So who all is at this Vuelta?

Well it's a heck of a start list. Besides Froome, Nairo Quintana is there hoping to redeem himself after a poor Tour by his standards, as is Alberto Contador who abandoned the Tour through injury and who is hoping he's recovered in time as well as fresher than the rest to mount a challenge. Alejandro Valverde is there too, of course, looking to achieve the rare feat of finishing all three Grand Tours this year in the top ten. In fact, the Spaniard has finished in the top ten of the past four Grand Tours dating back to the 2015 Tour (3rd, 7th, 3rd, 6th respectively) and of the nine Grand Tours out of a possible twelve he's started since the Vuelta in 2012 he's finished in the top ten in all with five podiums.

Others looking to shine include Tejay Van Garderen, Andrew Talansky, Robert Kruijswijk, Esteban Chaves, Warren Barguil, Pierre Rolland, and Louis Meintjes.

As for a top 5 prediction, I'll turn a few heads perhaps and go as follows:

1. Esteban Chaves
2. Nairo Quintana
3. Chris Froome
4. Alberto Contador
5. Alejandro Valverde

Yes, a Colombian battle for the title and a more rested Chaves to turn heads.