Insatiable greed, dedication of victory to the unfortunate Van Hoeydonck, and eternal ambition for victory, Jumbo-Visma, greedy to the point of cannibalism, once again rules La Vuelta Stage 16 of the Spanish Grand Prix takes place in Cantabria. The eventual rise of Bechs prolonged the Dutch sense of superiority, Jonas Vingegaard raised his arms to stay away from his rivals in the overall rankings, while Primoz Roglic gave interim leader Sepp Kuss) caused unnecessary sacrifices. Those who remain are mere spectators as this civil war enters its final week. Blood can be avoided; controversy, no.
A gloomy and humid day starts with some bad news. Two cyclists were abandoned due to illness: Catalan David de la Cruz (Astana-Kazakhstan), who, according to his team, “suffered gastroenteritis and fever on his rest day ”, finished 11th; Ethiopian Hagos Berhe (Jayco-AlUla team) tested positive for Covid-19. despite this, This was all before the horrific news broke that Nathan van Hoeydonk had been involved in a road accident., a Jumbo-Visma cyclist who, as he writes these words, is hospitalized in an induced coma in Belgium. “It will be a difficult day for us because our heads are elsewhere,” whispered Germany’s sporting director Grischa Niermann. . of the Dutch team.
Undeterred, Jumbo-Visma took an active role in the short but intense stage. After more than 60 kilometers of attack and counterattack, Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-Quick Step), Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Nicolas Prodhomme (AG2R-Citroën), Max Poole (Team dsm-Firmenich), Hercules Girona’s Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and green jersey Caden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck). And when he does, The Hornets of Kuss, Roglic and Vingegaard took the leading position in the main group and prepared to start a Watt battle Finally climbing up to Bechs in the overall men’s standings.
Jumbo-Visma subdued the Fugitive shortly before the final five kilometers of ascent. Luxury Society’s Dylan Van Baarle prepares Jonas Vingegaard’s attack 4 goals. Finn Fischer Black (Team Emirates) tried to jump on the wheel, a traitor to the Dutch team whose early sporting career was marked by a broken femur at the Vuelta a España.
Without Jumbo-Visma at the helm, a large group of fans hesitated. Quickly, Vengergaard built a lead within the minute and it grew until his own teammate Primoz Roglic lit the fuse With just over a kilometer to go, Enrique Mas (Movistar Team) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) struggled to cancel an attack… Leaving overall leader Sepp Kuss in trouble, he always struggled on short climbs.
La Roja’s blood did not flow into the river. Kus managed to connect with Ayuso, Mas and his partner and executioner Roglič, giving up only 4 inches in the final sprint. Vengergaard finished second overall by a minute, 29 inches behind the American leader, while Roglic fell back to third at 1 foot 33 inches. Ayuso and Mas, Marc Soler (UAE Emirates Team) and Mikel Landa (Victory Bahrain) remained between fourth and seventh overall, but the Tour de France double , far away from the podium. This Wednesday, Angliru’s mysterious ascension will tell us more about how the Vuelta is defined… and specifically the internal event of Jumbo-Visma.
