The Tour of Spain will face this Tuesday the first of the stages that will decide the final winner. With their eyes on the sky and at the expense of DANA, the favorites will face each other in an individual effort where each will give the measure of their possibilities and which aims to be a duel between Remco Evenepoel, current time trial world champion and Primoz Roglic, Olympic champion of the specialty.
On Wednesday, it’s time for the mountains and high end in Soria. The route between Lerma and Laguna Negra-Vinuesa It ends with the 1a climb, with 6.5 km at 6.8. After the theoretical Zaragoza sprint, if the north wind does not prevent it, “stage” Tour between Formigal and his majesty the Tourmalet, the mountain of the French mountains.
On the menu of the day 4 important portsPortalet (3rd, 4.4 to 5.4), Col D’Aubisque (Special, 16.5 km to 7.1), Col de Espandelles (1st, 10.3 km to 8.3) and el Tourmalet (Special, 18.9 km to 7.4).
As if that wasn’t enough, another day in style on Saturday between Sauveterre de Bearn and Larra Belagua. For many, the queen’s stage, with Col Hourcére (Special, 11.1 km to 8.7), Larrau (Special, 14.9 km to 8), Puerto de Laza (3a, 3.4 km to 6, 3) and the -climb to Belagua (1a, 9.5 km to 6.3). The week closes with a half mountain between Pamplona-Lekunberri.
There will be 6 days, each with its attractions. Now, weather and karma permitting, the Vuelta will continue to offer after a brilliant start.
The race has generated controversy since the famous time trial in the dark in Barcelona. Then Evenepoel’s crash in Andorra once over the finish line after colliding with an assistant and the interruption of two stages due to bad weather contributed to the climate of criticism against the organization. The arrival of 7 teams in Valladolid at 3 in the morning helped add fuel to the fire.
On the road the first 9 stages of the Vuelta left the highest equality overall. The big favorites are in the 20-second handkerchief, so everything is still undecided at the start of the second week awaiting the transcendental time trial this Tuesday in Valladolid and three hill finals: Vinuesa, Tourmalet and Belagua.
A luxurious domestique, the American Sepp Kuss rested in Pucela with the leader’s red jersey. It’s not the pattern of the Vuelta, but it will be key inside a Jumbo Visma that dominates the race at will, but without sweeping. The podium was provisional, with Marc Soler 43 seconds behind and the youngest Frenchman Lenny Martínez 1.02 behind.
The general actually starts in fourth place. There you will read the name of Remco Evenepoel, the defending champion. The Belgian champion is himself the favorite by rights and the rival to beat. At the moment, and waiting to show in Valladolid why he is the time trial world champion, he tops the list of celebrities.
Evenpoel leads Landa and Roglic by 7 seconds, Vingegaard and Enric Mas by 11, Juan Ayuso by 21 and Joao Almeida by 33. The few differences were close to a technical tie, with the permission of the clock marking the time at 25.8 km of the chrono.
The rivalry is served between Evenepoel and Jumbo, a team above the rest that currently has two true leaders, Roglic and Vingegaard. The rest of the candidates are hiding and trying to take advantage of the confrontation between the heavyweights.
Spanish options remain intact at the start of an important week. With no star protagonists at various stages able to perform normally, both Enric Mas (Movistar) and Juan Ayuso (UAE) were not far from the best. Both are on half a minute with respect to Evenepoel.
The Spaniard, second three times in the Vuelta, and Ayuso, third in 2022, will have to save the day in time. and then play their tricks on three high end. The competition will be tough, but both are in good shape.
Bad news for Ineos, trading down from day one. Its leader, Geraint Thomas, suffered a fall that relegated him in the general classification to 22nd place, 12.34 behind the leader. Colombian Egan Bernal continues without showing signs of the level that led him to win the 2019 Tour.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
