Team Jumbo-Visma survived the seventh stage of the Vuelta a España on Friday without too many problems. As expected, the 201-kilometer stage ended in a mass sprint. Geoffrey Soupe of TotalEnergies took the stage win. Sepp Kuss, briefly held up by a crash in the final, remains second in the general classification.

After the spectacular sixth stage won by Kuss, the seventh stage from Utiel to Oliva was less spectacular. Two riders broke away early, but their two-minute lead was not enough to surprise the sprint teams.

At the intermediate sprint, Jonas Vingegaard successfully entered the battle for the bonus seconds. He sprinted to third place and gained two seconds for the general classification. In the GC, he moved up to 10th place, 3 seconds behind Remco Evenepoel of Soudal – Quick Step.

In the hectic final, Kuss was involved in a crash, but the Durangoan was able to continue without any problems. Kuss maintained second place in the general classification, behind red jersey wearer Lenny Martinez of Groupama-FDJ. “I barely touched the ground. That was my luck,” Kuss said. “Fortunately, we stayed out of trouble today, and Jonas picked up some bonus seconds.”

Sports director Marc Reef Team said Jumbo-Visma had a good day. “It was a very quiet stage, but in stages like this, there are often crashes in the final,” Reef said. “Sepp crashed with eight kilometers to go, but luckily he could continue quickly. Our leaders, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, made it safely, which is the most important thing. Mission accomplished, and on to tomorrow. We have a tricky stage ahead of us.”

Stage 8 on Saturday will be 165 kilometers long with 3,619 meters of vertical climbing.