With two grueling climbing days ahead during the weekend, nobody knew what to expect Friday at the Vuelta a España. Team Jumbo-Visma and defending champion Primož Roglic provided plenty of fireworks.
An early breakaway group held a lead as big as 12 minutes before it was reeled in Friday during Stage 10 of the Spanish Vuelta, the last of the three Grand Tours of the 2020 season. But the chase peloton with the general classification contenders was able to close the gap to set up a thrilling final with an uphill sprint finish.
After some small climbs sprinkled throughout the 115-mile route from Castro Urdiales to Suances, the final mile was uphill into the finish. Roglic, the Slovenian superstar of Team Jumbo-Visma, put in a powerful attack after a leadout from teammate Paul Martens, and he would race to victory. It was the defending race champion’s third victory of this Vuelta, and the performance put him back in the overall lead.
“It’s always nice to win,” Roglic, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday, said in a Team Jumbo-Visma news release. “I never get used to winning. The legs felt really good today, and I am very happy with this victory. The team has put me in a good position, and this victory is also for them. I am now a year older and a year stronger. It’s like a good wine. The older the better. The fact that I have the red jersey again doesn’t change much for us as a team. We must try to keep the momentum and, most of all, we need to stay focused and stick to our own plan. I look forward to the next two mountain stages. It will be a nice spectacle to watch.”
Roglic, who had won Stage 1 and wore the leader’s jersey until Stage 6 before he surrendered it to INEOS Grenadiers rider Richard Carapaz, lost serious time on Stage 6 and fell to fourth overall. He began his climb back up the podium with his second stage win Wednesday on a big climbing effort supported in brilliant fashion by teammate Sepp Kuss of Durango.
Friday, Roglic earned a 10-second time bonus along with his victory in 4 hours, 14 minutes, 11 seconds. The peloton also finished split behind the first eight riders. Ecuador’s Carapaz placed 14th overall, three seconds behind Roglic’s winning time.
Roglic entered the day 13 seconds behind Carapaz. The two are now tied with a total time of 40:25:15, but the red jersey went back to Roglic with the stage win.
Kuss finished Friday’s stage in 41st place. He was 27 seconds behind his teammate’s winning time. The 26-year-old from Durango stayed in 20th place overall, 10:30 behind the lead.
Kuss will have a chance to contend for the king of the mountain jersey, which he wore after Stage 1 but surrendered after Stage 2, this weekend with two big climbing days before Monday’s final rest day of this 18-stage Vuelta that was delayed and reduced in length because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kuss has 24 climber’s points, three behind polka dot jersey wearer Guillaume Martin of France. Carapaz also has 24 king of the mountain points.
Stage 11 on Saturday will feature four Category 1 climbs after a Category 3 ascent to begin the day. There is a summit finish on Aldo de La Farrapona to conclude the 105.5-mile ride.
It won’t get any easier Sunday, a 70-mile Stage 12 that has two Category 3 climbs, two at Category 1 and then a final summit finish on the beyond categorization climb of the famed Alto de l’Angliru.
“It’s crazy steep, one of the hardest, steepest climbs in cycling,” Kuss said in an interview with The Durango Herald before the Vuelta began. “It is synonymous with the Vuelta, as well, a historical climb. That will be a really, really brutal day to race up it but also exciting when you get to race historical climbs. I hope to have good legs on that day.”
It will be a key weekend in determining the race leader going into the final week of action, while Kuss may have the opportunity to race for a stage win if a breakaway is allowed to escape the overall contenders.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
