With your feet on the road and your mind in the road book. The survivors of 79th edition of La Vuelta This Saturday they faced the 13th stage of the Spanish roundthe longest of this edition, with 200.5 kilometers, 24 hours before the difficult, dreaded and decisive day this Sunday, with a double pass in Colladiella is tall (1st) and the end in special category port of Cuitu Negru.
This incident conditioned the performance of the play and the attitude of the runners. The aspirants to glory of Madridthe favorites for the podium, took this day as a transition, with the sole aim of avoiding any incident and their mind set on the difficult test that awaits them in Valgrande-Pajares tomorrow, the day that closes the second week of competition.
It is a day today where the fame should be for others, for the applicants for the breakaway and for the sprinters if the fate of the day is decided at full speed, even if the winner is crowned 17 kilometers from the line of graduation Port of Leitariegos (1st). A long climb of 22.8 kilometers at an average slope of 4.6% where the rest of the day consists of Narváez, Meurisse, Frigo, Campenaerts and Tejada– began to lose strength. At 29 kilometers from the finish line the difference is 42 seconds compared to a group controlled by Team Visma-Lease a Bike by Van Aert. After 20 kilometers, the margin was reduced to 20 seconds, already leading the race, and 6.2 kilometers from the crowning in Leitariegos, only Narvaez.
The Ecuadorian was chased 3 kilometers from Coronar. The pace quickened and Van Aert the first to cross the summit, cementing his leadership of the mountain, although he now hands the polka dot jersey to Marc Soler When wearing the Belgian also has points.
On the fast descent there is no fall to regret and only the puncture of the Primoz Roglic It lost the script. Your partner in Red Bull, Daniel Felipe Martínez, He left the bike with him. He pushed himself, suffered in return, but ended up connecting with the peloton.
The stretched peloton arrived at the moment of truth. After taking the last sharp curve, only the last 500 meters of sunlight remained, heading upwards. Van Aert he got on the wheel Groves. The Belgian is looking for his fourth victory and the Australian his second, luck falls in this case for Groves in Villablinoadded his second victory of the season, both at La Vuelta.
Tomorrow, Groves will turn the spotlight on the big favorites, and the question is clear. Will Ben O’Connor remain at the helm of the high mountains in the face of Roglic’s siege?
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.
