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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 closing stage time trial in Madrid.
After claiming victory in Stage 4 at Pico Villuerca and taking the chief’s jersey, Roglič and his Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe workforce almost misplaced their grip on the Vuelta when Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) broke away solo, gaining an nearly five-minute result in take excessive of the GC standings.
Roglič steadily decreased the hole, choosing up seconds alongside the best way, 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 as a result of accidents sustained in a crash.
One in every 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 lately.
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 struggle 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 document 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 as we speak. I knew with the parcours you needed to exit laborious and simply hold it collectively till the top, and that’s what I did,” Küng stated.
“I suffered lots as we speak, however I believe everybody on the finish of this tough Vuelta and I am simply so pleased that I bought 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 in case you win with greater than half a minute. It exhibits that you just have been completely the most effective, there was no coincidence as we speak.”
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 Motels) 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 pace however was quickly changed on high of the leaderboard by former hour document holder and future teammate Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Dstny) who completed with a time of 27:22.
Within the closing Grand Tour levels of their profession, Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Dstny) stored his head down maintaining his pace up till the end whereas Robert Gesink (Visma-Lease A Bike) waved at his workforce automobile and the followers that lined the course.
The quickest to date on the checkpoints, because the time edged nearer to the 27-minute mark, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) unseated the Belgian from the recent seat with a time of 27:14 however not for lengthy, as Filippo Baroncini (UAE Crew Emirates) flew in, two seconds quicker than the Swiss rider.
Winner on the opening time trial three weeks in the past, American time trial champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Crew Emirates) was over a minute down on the second checkpoint and slipped out of rivalry, seemingly as a result of a crash.
All eyes have been on the 97th rider to begin and he didn’t disappoint as Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) scorched the course, catching his minute-man, and growing his 18-second benefit on the primary verify to 41 seconds by the second verify, to 43 seconds on the end line.
After shedding some pace on a nook, Mattia Cattaneo (T-Rex QuickStep) slotted into second place, 42 seconds from Küng, and one second quicker than Baroncini with the GC contenders nonetheless to return.
Whereas Küng’s blazing time was powerful to beat, the struggle for the remaining podium spots was nonetheless broad open. Solely 9 seconds separated second-placed Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) from Enric Mas (Movistar). In the meantime, Richard Carapaz (EF Schooling-Straightforward Submit), sitting in fourth, gave every little thing 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 profitable the most effective 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 quicker than O’Connor. Although O’Connor light within the closing half of the stage, he held on to his second place general with a time of 27:33, 28 seconds quicker than Mas. Carapaz completed with a stable time of 28:01 to seal fourth place.
Outcomes
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