In the long run, it was a helpful reminder and nothing extra. The Vuelta a España isn’t as simple because it appears, even for Primož Roglič. The Slovenian has gained this race 3 times, however every of these victories had its fraught moments. A day after inserting a hefty deposit on the crimson jersey on the Puerto de Ancares, Roglič endured one other late scare on stage 14 to Villablino.
The peloton had simply crested the Puerto de Leitariegos and crossed from Asturias again into Léon when Roglič realised one thing was awry along with his bike. He braked to a halt along with teammate Daniel Martínez, who swiftly handed over his machine and pushed his chief on his manner as soon as once more.
There have been barely greater than 10km – quick and downhill – to the end line, however Roglič radiated his normal beatific calm as he set about chasing again on. Certainly, the tv cameras of the host broadcaster appeared altogether extra flustered by the incident than he did, mistakenly stopping to deal with Martínez’s ready for a substitute bike fairly than following Roglič’s pursuit.
By the point Kaden Groves had outsprinted Wout van Aert to win in Villablino, Roglič was safely again in the principle physique of the peloton. On the end, he picked his manner serenely via the soigneurs and tv crews on Avendia Gancedo earlier than drifting off in direction of his Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe group bus a kilometre or so away. Someday much less.
After his exhibition on the Puerto de Ancares on stage 13, Roglič appears more and more like the person to beat on this Vuelta. That effort slashed crimson jersey Ben O’Connor’s once-daunting result in a extra manageable 1:21, whereas Roglič additionally prolonged his buffer over third-placed Enric Mas, who’s now 1:40 behind the Slovenian.
In Villafranco del Bierzo on Saturday morning, nonetheless, directeur sportif Patxi Vila wasn’t satisfied that the brand new configuration of the final classification would essentially hand Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe a larger duty for the policing of the peloton. That sentiment was borne out on stage 14, the place Visma-Lease a Bike spent the majority of the day setting the tempo on behalf of Van Aert.
“On the finish we simply deal with our race,” Vila instructed Cyclingnews. “Now we have a plan, we’re executing it and we’re preserving centered on that. We wish to make it to Madrid in as little time as doable, which is what we’re specializing in, so we’re not likely seeking to different folks.”
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Vila will certainly have been heartened, nonetheless, by Pink Bull’s collective energy on the Puerto de Ancares. Regardless of Roglič’s brace of stage wins within the opening week, Pink Bull have not at all times imposed themselves on this Vuelta, however their show on Friday was their most full so far, with Florian Lipowitz, Aleksandr Vlasov and Martínez all firing on the decrease slopes of the ultimate climb within the service of Roglič.
“We knew that from Friday till to the tip of the race could be the toughest half, so we tried to essentially maximise the restoration and the form of the riders in direction of the ultimate a part of the Vuelta,” Vila stated.
“Hopefully we’ll see that we have been proper to try this. It has been tremendous laborious. The primary 9 days have been very laborious and extremely popular, so we weren’t positive how that may impression the riders. I am fairly positive that someplace that can pop up, however we have been taking a look at taking good care of every of the eight riders we now have right here, to verify they attain their full potential.”
Cuitu Negru
Roglič’s means to hit his personal excessive notes had been unsure earlier than the Vuelta a España after he suffered a fractured vertebra within the crash that ended his Tour de France problem. The lingering results of that harm remained a priority even after Roglič’s stage wins within the first week, and on Friday, he confessed that Pink Bull hadn’t chased down the day’s early break as a result of he “did not really feel utterly assured but.”
His self-belief will certainly have been bolstered by his imperious show at Os Ancares, the place he steadily and remorselessly burnt Mas off his wheel on the climb’s harshest 15% slopes. The 2 minutes lopped off O’Connor’s lead was the headline information on Friday, however Roglič’s positive aspects of a minute on Mas and Richard Carapaz could be simply as important within the total narrative of this race.
“Nonetheless, I want to have one thing extra,” Vila smiled. “It is good, I’d say, it offers confidence. We took a while again from O’Connor however we additionally put a while into the third and fourth on GC. It was a very good day for us, however there’s nonetheless numerous work to return. The toughest remains to be to return.”
Whereas the regular, shallow slopes of the Puerto de Leitariegos have been by no means prone to produce pyrotechnics among the many total contenders, the Vuelta a España route for stage 15 may nicely be probably the most demanding leg of the race up to now. After twin ascents of the class 1 Alto de la Colladiella, the Vuelta returns to the particular class summit end at Cuitu Negru (18.9km at 7.4%), final tackled in 2012.
“A deficit of 1:21 on the crimson jersey looks as if nothing, but it surely’s nonetheless rather a lot. What I imply is, there’s nonetheless numerous work to do and the toughest a part of the Vuelta remains to be to return,” Vila stated. “Sunday is de facto laborious. I raced the climb so far as Pajares numerous instances, however not the final half to Cuitu Negru. I spent a while there for a recon… That is a climb. That is a correct, correct climb.”
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