Vuelta a España to replace podium girls with 'elegantly dressed' men and women

Vuelta organisers "respond to social media debate"

Fabio Aru on the podium at the 2015 Vuelta a España

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

The Vuelta a España will become the first Grand Tour to do away with podium girls, replacing them with "elegantly dressed" men and women for the 2017 race.

The race follows in the footsteps of the Tour Down Under and the Volta Catalunya, both of which have ended the tradition of having women presenting prizes to winning riders on the podium for this year.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.