Team Jumbo-Visma was torn between joy and grief on Tuesday. Jonas Vingegaard won his second stage of the Vuelta a España, but Nathan Van Hooydonck also became unwell in his car and was involved in a traffic incident. Considering the circumstances, the team said Van Hooydonck is doing well.
The final climb of Stage 16 was a tough one, with about five kilometers of climbing at an average gradient of almost 9%. Vingegaard surged ahead of a depleted peloton on one of the climbs, which had gradients up to 15%, and no one could catch him. Vingegaard's time gain allowed him to overtake his teammate Primoz Roglic in the general classification. Sepp Kuss of Durango remained in the lead, followed by Vingegaard 29 seconds later in second and Roglic in third, 1:33 back. Kuss finished 10th and Roglic eighth on Tuesday.
“Jonas attacked at the perfect moment,” Kuss said. “You could see that very few riders were able to stop his attack. Primoz and I then decided to defuse any counterattacks in the group of favorites. All three of us have the freedom to attack. The main goal is to take the red jersey to Madrid with the team next Sunday. Tomorrow will be much less tactical. The climb to the top of the Angliru is tough, and it will all come down to who is the strongest. Hopefully, my legs will be fine.”
“I would like to dedicate this victory to my best friend,” said an emotional Vingegaard, referring to Van Hooydonck. “We heard the news just before the start this morning. On days like this, it's not easy to keep the focus on cycling. I knew that I wanted to win for Nathan. I am happy with this win, but my thoughts are with him. I hope Nathan will be back to his old self soon. He always sacrifices himself for others. He and I have spent a lot of time together over the past few years, and I've built up a good relationship with him. He is always there for me. I hope that Nathan and his wife will be all right soon.”
