Professional cycling in Spain is going through difficult times and several races have either been shortened or cancelled in recent years. To reduce the costs, the Spanish Association of Race Organizers AEOCC has proposed to gather the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, the Vuelta a Asturias and the Vuelta a Burgos in a racing block in August that would serve as preparation for the Vuelta a Espana.

The economic crisis has left many cycling nations on their knees but no other country has been hit as hard by the tough climate as Spain. Several prestigious stage races like the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Euskal Bizikleta have completely disappeared from the calendar while races like Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid, Vuelta a Murcia, Vuelta a Asturias and Vuelta a Castilla y Leon have all been shortened.

Even the country's WorldTour events Volta a Catalunya, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and Clasica San Sebastian have been on the verge of cancellation and in 2014, the country that is the perennial winner of the WorldTour nations rankings, will be left with only two professional teams: Movistar and Caja Rural.

Three of the stage races that have managed to survive the tough times are the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, the Vuelta a Asturias and the Vuelta a Burgos. A few weeks ago the former event confirmed that it will be held as a three-day race in 2014 but that it will be postponed from its usual April dates to May 16-18 and yesterday the Vuelta a Asturias announced that it will once again take place over three days from May 1 to 3.

However, it may the final time that these two races will be held in the spring. The portal Ciclismo en Asturias reports that the Spanish Association of Race Organizers AEOCC has proposed to hold the two races in conjunction with the Vuelta a Burgos in August.

The latter event currently serves as one of the major preparation races for the Vuelta a Espana. By holding all three events close to each other, Spain would offer a solid block of racing that would offer the perfect warm-up for the Spanish grand tour. The new dates would need to be approved by the UCI.

The Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and Vuelta a Asturias were formerly 5-day events that have now been reduced in length. The one-day race Subida al Naranco which was held a few days before the Asturian race, is now part of the stage race.