Team Jumbo-Visma finished the 12th stage of the Vuelta a España without any problems on Thursday, keeping Durangoan Sepp Kuss in the race’s overall lead.
The stage ended in a mass sprint won by Juan Sebastian Molano of UAE Team Emirates. Primoz Roglic took four bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint.
The yellow-and-black formation had a quiet day on the straight roads between Olvega and Zaragoza. Roglic caused some excitement by picking up bonification seconds in the intermediate sprint 15 kilometers from the finish. As a result, the Slovenian moved up four seconds in the general classification.
“On a quiet stage like this, it's important to stay out of trouble,” said Jumbo-Visma sports director Marc Reef. “We managed that. Sepp, Jonas and Primoz were always in a good position to avoid risks. Everyone crossed the line safely, which was the most important thing.”
This weekend, the peloton heads for the Pyrenees. The Col du Tourmalet is the finish location of the queen stage on Friday. “The two stages in the Pyrenees will be very important for the general classification,” Reef said. “This is where the strength of the GC contenders will be seen for the first time. We are in good shape, and we have a plan. We are all looking forward to it.”
Kuss is also confident heading into the critical Pyrenees weekend. “It's great that Primoz and Jonas believe in me,” Kuss said. “I have already received a lot of support and advice from them. The three of us are still in the top-10, which works in our favor. It's hard to say how tomorrow's stage will go, but we'll support each other.”
Kuss has a 26-second lead over Marc Soler of UAE Team Emirates while Remco Evenepoel of Soudal-Quick Step is third (+1:09) and Roglic is fourth (+1:32).
