Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dates | 27 April – 16 May | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stages | 19 stages + Prologue, including 1 split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 3,340 km (2,075 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning time | 93h 19' 10" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winner | José Pesarrodona (ESP) | (Kas - Campagnolo) | |
Second | Luis Ocaña (ESP) | (Super Ser) | |
Third | José Nazabal (ESP) | (Kas - Campagnolo) | |
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Points | Dietrich Thurau (FRG) | (TI Raleigh) | |
Mountains | Andrés Oliva (ESP) | (Kas - Campagnolo) | |
Sprints | Daniel Verplancke (BEL) | (Flandria - Velda) | |
Team | Kas - Campagnolo |
The 31st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from 27 April to 16 May 1976. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,340 km, and was won by José Pesarrodona of the Kas-Campagnolo cycling team. Andres Oliva won the mountains classification while Dietrich Thurau won the points classification.
When Belgian cyclist Eric Jacques finished in second place in the eighth stage, he became the new leader. Later, it became known that he tested positive for doping after that stage, and he received a penalty of ten minutes. Previously, Günter Haritz had been penalized for the same offence. Both cyclists left the race after being penalized.