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Primož Roglič gained a fourth Vuelta a España title on Sunday night, sealing his fifth Grand Tour title in six years with a second-place end within the ultimate stage time trial in Madrid.
After claiming victory in Stage 4 at Pico Villuerca and taking the chief’s jersey, Roglič and his Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe group practically misplaced their grip on the Vuelta when Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) broke away solo, gaining an virtually five-minute result in take excessive of the GC standings.
Roglič steadily lowered the hole, choosing up seconds alongside the way in which, and by his third stage win on Stage 19, he had regained the general lead. Roglič’s victory supplied as soon as once more a way of redemption after a significant disappointment earlier within the season, coming after he withdrew from the Tour de France because of accidents sustained in a crash.
Considered one of solely two riders to interrupt the 27-minute barrier, Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) gained the ultimate time trial with a blistering time of 26:28 on the 24.6km course. It marked the Swiss rider’s first-ever stage victory in a Grand Tour after a string of second locations in recent times.
Second on the stage, Roglič was 31 seconds off the quickest time whereas Mattia Cattaneo (T-Rex QuickStep) claimed third, 42 seconds down.
Within the fiercely contested combat for the rostrum, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) got here out robust, defending his second-place place and realising his dream of a Grand Tour podium. Enric Mas (Movistar) secured third place, including to his report of three runner-up finishes on the Vuelta.
“It is wonderful, lastly, I’ve been preventing for it for a really very long time, and I actually wished that win right this moment. I knew with the parcours you needed to exit arduous and simply maintain it collectively till the top, and that’s what I did,” Küng stated.
“I suffered rather a lot right this moment, however I feel everybody on the finish of this difficult Vuelta and I am simply so glad that I received this win right here on the Vuelta. My first grand tour stage win and it has been a very long time within the making.
“It is all the time good for those who win with greater than half a minute. It exhibits that you just had been completely the perfect, there was no coincidence right this moment.”
The way it unfolded
The ultimate time trial, held on a quick and flat 24.6 course in Madrid, concluded with an up and down the Castellana earlier than turning on the Plaza de Cibeles and heading up in the direction of the end line on the Gran Vía. Two intermediate checkpoints, at 7.9km and 16.8km, roughly divided the course into thirds.
Because the final rider on GC, Tim Naberman (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) was the primary rider down the beginning ramp however the Dutch rider was caught by Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Inns) who went straight right into a sizzling seat with a gap time of 27:43.
The following quick time of 27:34 was set by Italian TT specialist Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike), who selected to make use of a double-disc setup and although he was buffeted by wind on the course, he managed to carry his velocity however was quickly changed on high of the leaderboard by former hour report holder and future teammate Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) who completed with a time of 27:22.
Within the ultimate Grand Tour phases of their profession, Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Dstny) stored his head down holding his velocity up till the end whereas Robert Gesink (Visma-Lease A Bike) waved at his group automotive and the followers that lined the course.
The quickest up to now on the checkpoints, because the time edged nearer to the 27-minute mark, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) unseated the Belgian from the new seat with a time of 27:14 however not for lengthy, as Filippo Baroncini (UAE Workforce Emirates) flew in, two seconds sooner than the Swiss rider.
Winner on the opening time trial three weeks in the past, American time trial champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Workforce Emirates) was over a minute down on the second checkpoint and slipped out of rivalry, seemingly because of a crash.
All eyes had been on the 97th rider to start out and he didn’t disappoint as Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) scorched the course, catching his minute-man, and rising his 18-second benefit on the primary examine to 41 seconds by the second examine, to 43 seconds on the end line.
After dropping some velocity on a nook, Mattia Cattaneo (T-Rex QuickStep) slotted into second place, 42 seconds from Küng, and one second sooner than Baroncini with the GC contenders nonetheless to come back.
Whereas Küng’s blazing time was powerful to beat, the combat for the remaining podium spots was nonetheless vast open. Solely 9 seconds separated second-placed Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) from Enric Mas (Movistar). In the meantime, Richard Carapaz (EF Training-Simple Submit), sitting in fourth, gave all the pieces to shut his 49-second hole and safe a podium end.
Within the battle for high 10 placings, Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) took 1:13 out of David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and moved as much as fifth place general, in addition to successful the perfect younger rider classification.
Race chief Roglič posted the quickest time of all GC contenders on the first checkpoint, 13 seconds off of Küng’s time, and three seconds sooner than O’Connor. Although O’Connor light within the ultimate half of the stage, he held on to his second place general with a time of 27:33, 28 seconds sooner than Mas. Carapaz completed with a strong time of 28:01 to seal fourth place.
Outcomes
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