| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 25 April – 12 May | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,014 km (1,873 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 78h 29' 00" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 23rd edition of Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the three grand tours, was held from 25 April to 12 May 1968. It consisted of 18 stages covering a total of 3,014 km (1,873 mi). Basque nationalist ETA terrorists detonated a bomb along the course on stage 15, causing that day's racing to be annulled.[1][2] The race was won by Felice Gimondi of the Salvarani cycling team. With this win in the 1968 Vuelta a España, the 1967 Giro d'Italia and the 1965 Tour de France, Gimondi became the second cyclist after Jacques Anquetil to win all three grand tours in his career.[3] Defending champion Jan Janssen won the points competition and 1966 champion Francisco Gabica won the mountains classification.[4]
Teams and riders
Route
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 25 April | Zaragoza – Zaragoza | 130 km (81 mi) |  Jan Janssen (NED) | ||
| 1b | 25 April | Zaragoza – Zaragoza | 4 km (2 mi) |  | Individual time trial |  Jan Janssen (NED) | 
| 2 | 26 April | Zaragoza – Lleida | 195 km (121 mi) |  Michael Wright (GBR) | ||
| 3a | 27 April | Lleida – Barcelona | 165 km (103 mi) |  Tommaso de Pra (ITA) | ||
| 3b | 27 April | Barcelona – Barcelona | 38 km (24 mi) |  Rudi Altig (FRG) | ||
| 4 | 28 April | Barcelona – Salou | 108 km (67 mi) |  Michael Wright (GBR) | ||
| 5 | 29 April | Salou – Vinaròs | 106 km (66 mi) |  Rudi Altig (FRG) | ||
| 6 | 30 April | Vinaròs – Valencia | 148 km (92 mi) |  Pietro Guerra (ITA) | ||
| 7 | 1 May | Valencia – Benidorm | 144 km (89 mi) |  Wilfried Peffgen (FRG) | ||
| 8 | 2 May | Benidorm – Almansa | 167 km (104 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Manuel Martín Piñera (ESP) | ||
| 9 | 3 May | Almansa – Alcázar de San Juan | 230 km (143 mi) | .svg.png.webp) José María Errandonea (ESP) | ||
| 10 | 4 May | Alcázar de San Juan – Madrid | 173 km (107 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Domingo Perurena (ESP) | ||
| 11 | 5 May | Madrid – Palencia | 242 km (150 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Ramón Sáez (ESP) | ||
| 12 | 6 May | Villalón de Campos – Gijón | 236 km (147 mi) | .svg.png.webp) José Pérez Francés (ESP) | ||
| 13 | 7 May | Gijón – Santander | 203 km (126 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Victor Van Schil (BEL) | ||
| 14 | 8 May | Santander – Vitoria | 244 km (152 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Eduardo Castelló (ESP) | ||
| 15 | 9 May | Vitoria – Pamplona | Annulled | |||
| 16 | 10 May | Pamplona – San Sebastián | 204 km (127 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Luis Santamarina (ESP) | ||
| 17 | 11 May | San Sebastián – Tolosa | 67 km (42 mi) |  | Individual time trial |  Felice Gimondi (ITA) | 
| 18 | 12 May | Tolosa – Bilbao | 206 km (128 mi) | .svg.png.webp) Manuel Martín Piñera (ESP) | ||
| Total | 3,014 km (1,873 mi) | |||||
Results
Final General Classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Felice Gimondi | Salvarani | 78h 29' 00" | 
| 2 | .svg.png.webp) José Pérez Francés | Kas–Kaskol | + 2' 15" | 
| 3 | .svg.png.webp) Eusebio Vélez | Fagor | + 5' 08" | 
| 4 | .svg.png.webp) José María Errandonea | Fagor | + 5' 19" | 
| 5 |  Vittorio Adorni | Faema | + 5' 26" | 
| 6 |  Jan Janssen | Pelforth | + 5' 43" | 
| 7 | .svg.png.webp) Antonio Gómez del Moral | Kas–Kaskol | + 5' 55" | 
| 8 | .svg.png.webp) Carlos Echeverría | Kas–Kaskol | + 6' 00" | 
| 9 |  Lucien Aimar | Bic | + 6' 40" | 
| 10 | .svg.png.webp) Jos Spruyt | Faema | + 7' 50" | 
| 11 | .svg.png.webp) Luis Otaño Arcelus | Fagor | |
| 12 |  Jean-Pierre Ducasse | Pelforth | |
| 13 | .svg.png.webp) Francisco Gabica | Fagor | |
| 14 |  Michael Wright | Bic | |
| 15 | .svg.png.webp) Ventura Díaz Arrey | Ferrys | |
| 16 | .svg.png.webp) José Manuel Lopez | Fagor | |
| 17 | .svg.png.webp) José Antonio Momeñe | Fagor | |
| 18 |  Rudi Altig | Salvarani | |
| 19 | .svg.png.webp) Andrés Gandarias | Kas–Kaskol | |
| 20 |  Cees Haast | Bic | |
| 21 | .svg.png.webp) Fernando Manzaneque | Karpy | |
| 22 |  Wilfried Peffgen | Salvarani | |
| 23 | .svg.png.webp) Victor Van Schil | Faema | |
| 24 | .svg.png.webp) Domingo Perurena | Fagor | |
| 25 | .svg.png.webp) Sebastián Elorza Uria | Kas–Kaskol | 
References
- ↑ "In praise of the Vuelta a España". Cyclist. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ↑ Jones, Graham (2003-09-01). "La Vuelta: A Colorful & Caliente History". PezCycling News. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
- ↑ "General Information 1968". La Vuelta.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
- ↑ "XXIII Vuelta Ciclista a España – Clasificaciones Oficiales" (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo. 13 May 1968. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2020.
- ↑ "1968 » 23rd Vuelta a España". Procyclingstats. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ↑ "23ème Vuelta a España 1968". Memoire du cyclisme (in French). Archived from the original on 25 October 2004.






