Evenepoel was successful in the attack
By Felix Schönbach and Kevin Kempf
Rigoberto Uran (EF Education – EasyPost) was too broken at the finish line to celebrate. | Photo: Cor Vos
07.09.2022 | (rsn) – In the final meters of the mountain finish at Monasterio de Tentudía, Rigoberto Uran (EF Education – EasyPost) fought his way to victory in the 17th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Colombia left Quentin Pacher (Groupama – FDJ) and Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) behind after 162 km. After Primoz Roglic (Jumbo – Visma) retired due to injury, overall leader Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) tried to prevent all attacks from the remaining race.
His first success at the Vuelta allowed Uran to complete his collection of Grand Tour wins. “It’s good to win the Vuelta. I’ve been trying to do this for years because I’ve won the Tour and the Giro. To win here as a Grand Tour rider is special. I am very happy and thank my team and my family,” said the 35-year-old.
Uranium is being rewarded for its persistence
At the end of the final climb of ten kilometers, Uran saved the most seeds and beat his escaping colleagues in the long run. “I’m racing against some fast drivers. So I have to save energy to run against people like Soler. 300 meters from the finish I said to myself: ‘I have to go now. , it’s now or never!
With success, Uran can end the quiet season with a positive experience. “This victory shows that we must always believe and fight, even if the results seem far away. It is important to get up and ride every day with the right attitude, with joy and hope,” he explained. Due to the lead in the main field, Uran can also jump to the tenth place in the overall ranking.
Evenepoel controlled the match
The status was shaken by the abandonment of second place Roglic. Without his fiercest rivals, Evenepoel was able to control the attacks of Enric Mas (Movistar), Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida (both UAE Emirates Team). “Of course it’s not easy today. Especially the way to climb the last step is the most nervous. The road is wide, but quite steep. It may be easier to watch TV in reality,” however, the overall leader said.
In leadership style, Evenepoel uses Almeida’s attacks to compete with each other. “When Almeida attacked, it was perfect for me because there was a fight for the top ten. So it started [Miguel Angel] Lopez paces because he doesn’t want Almeida to go too far. That’s the game I have to play in the next few days,” predicted Evenepoel.
Mas remains 2:01 behind in the runner-up standings, while Ayuso moves into third place, 4:51 behind. Evenepoel also leads the junior classification. In the sprint classification, Mads Pedersen (Trek – Segafredo) remains on top. The mountain jersey remains on the shoulders of Jay Vine (Alpecin – Deceuninck). UAE Team Emirates continues to extend their lead in the team rankings.
Here’s how the contest goes:
The first hour of the race was completed at a speed of about 50 km/h, so no one could pull away in the early stages. This happened only after 40 km when Clément Champoussin, Bon Jungels (both AG2R Citroën), Gino Mäder, Fred Wright (both Bahrain Victorious), Herrada, Uran, Pacher, Alessandro de Marchi (Israel – Premier Tech), Lawson Craddock (BikeExchange – Jayco), Elissonde , Marc Soler, Elie Gesbert and Simon Guglielmi (both Arkéa – Samsic) formed the group of the day after a long battle.
The maximum advantage of the escapees is 7: 30 minutes, which means 12 overall Uran virtually pushed through Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) into the eighth place. Neither Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl nor the other teams showed any interest in catching the group, so it was clear that 13 people would fight for the victory on the stage.
Wright secured a moderate run at Segura de Leon. With 19 kilometers to go, Craddock opened the final lap. His first attack was unsuccessful, but after a few attempts the driver Riding with others, he escaped on his own three kilometers later. So the American struggled up the final climb with a slim lead over his old comrade.
Gesbert attacked and was pursued and defeated by Champoussin. Uran and Pacher joined the AG2R pros and slowly but steadily closed their gap with the leaders. At the start of the last three kilometers, Soler and Herrada were still closing in on the three runners, Elissonde did the same for the two Spaniards shortly after. Soler attacked his partner two kilometers from the finish line. However, instead of dissolving, he created a conflict, which again got Craddock a few seconds.
When Uran attacked 500 meters later, he was able to plug the front hole with Herrada on his rear wheel within 500 meters. Soler and Chamoussin also caught up after that. France attacked, was caught by Herrada and reacted. Uranus can reach the Spaniards with a distance of 200 meters. He attacked directly. Pacher came up from behind, but neither he nor Herrada could catch the Colombian.
At the same time Mas attacked with Evenepoel in the rear wheel in the favorite group. Since the Belgian did not want to ride the wind, Almeida returned. He didn’t hesitate and sat down. The classified riders gathered behind him, in which only Thymen Arensman (DSM) and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert) were missing. Almeida finished first, 5:02 minutes behind Uran and 9 seconds ahead of the other entries.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com