Bike changes, a wall of a finish and a switcheroo at the top of the leader board! Stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana had it all. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) time trialled to victory (his fourth stage win!) and back into red, breaking the hearts of American race fans by finishing one solitary second in front of CCC’s Will Barta. Nelson Oliviera (Movistar) rounded out the podium. Roglic holds 39secs over Richard Carapaz (INEOS-Grenadiers), with EF Pro-Cycling’s Hugh Carthy increasing his grip on podium with a grimace-laden, stormer of a ride.
Another Grand Tour, another fabulous time trial.
On the menu today: A wall of a finish with vertiginous ramps and a goat track of a road.
Yep, a TT on the slopes where Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador once delighted us.
And bike changes in designated areas! Be still my beating heart. I know we had them at Le Tour, but nothing beats the joy of the theatre Bergen gave us at the World Champs in 201. The stage was set, the tactics discussed in the team bus, the practising began.
Prize for the slickest bike change goes to the Jumbo Bees and George Bennett
Prize for the most amusing bike change on twitter? It can only be Movistar
To the race!
French TT champion and VeloVoices favourite casino game – Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck–Quickstep) – set the early pace with a time of 47:37mins.
He was ousted from the hot seat by Movistarlet Nelson Oliviera who stayed cool in the bike change and on the climb to stop the clock at 46:49mins.
Meanwhile, almost unnoticed by the TV cameras until the final climb, CCC’s Will Barta was leaving it all on the tarmac and the concrete ridges. Fastest at both intermediate points, he roared across the line taking 9 seconds from Oliveira’s time.
OF COURSE HE IS!!!
Barta’s top time held until the last two riders on the road, and then came the arrival of Roglic. The man who lost the yellow jersey the last time he raced on a TT bike. [And dear God, let’s hope his helmet was better this TT! – ed]
Would he be able to put all that behind him?
You bet your bottom dollar he would. He may have had the air of being slightly frazzled on the climb but he sizzled across the line to take stage and the red jersey – breaking American hearts and possibly laying to rest some ghosts.
This TT love is all very well Midge, but what about the GC?
Apart from the switch at the top of the table, there was little change in the top ten on GC. Carapaz mitigated his losses well today but needs to find 39 seconds to reclaim red. Primoz Roglic has shown himself to be the master of understatement with this quote:
It’s better [to be] 39 in front than 39 behind.
Even with Roglic’s wobble on the Angliru, I’m not sure Carapaz will reclaim red later this week, they have been evenly matched. However, the gaps between the contenders have widened. Hugh Carthy‘s magnificent ride leaves him in third place with nearly a minute in the bank over Dan Martin (Israel Start Up Nation).
Honestly, my favourite ride of the day.
And one of my favourite exchanges
When you forget a Vuelta winner
You try explaining the difference between counties and unitary authorities
BACK TO THE GC, MIDGE!!!!!
I’m with Orla.
FULL POX!!!
Perfection in polkas.
Final Word
So nice to see Sylvain again.
Stage 13 Results
1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 46:39
2 Will Barta (CCC) +0:01
3 Nelson Oliviera (Movistar) +0:10
4 Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +0:25
5 Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ) +0:41
GC Top 10
1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) 49:16:16
2 Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:39
3 Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) +0:47
4 Dan Martin (Israel Start Up) +1:42
5 Enric Mas (Movistar) + 3:23
6 Wout Poels (Bahrain McLaren) +6:15
7 Felix Grossschartner (BORA-hansgrohe) +7:14
8 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +8:39
9 Alexandr Vlasov (Astana) +8:48
10 David de la Cruz (UAE-Team Emirates) +9:23
All the jerseys
Leader’s jersey Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
Points jersey Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
King of the Mountains Guillaume Martin (Cofidis)
Best Young Rider Enric Mas (Movistar)
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Official race website: Vuelta a Espana
Header: ©GETTY/AFP/Miguel Riopa