2021 season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España

Vuelta a Espana 2021 : Stage 21 – Roglic win the stage and the whole damn race

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Primoz Rogic (Jumbo Visma) won the final stage of Vuelta a Espana 2021 and sealed the deal on his overall victory. Magnus Cort of EF Nippo set the benchmark on the time trial but could only look on from the hot seat as the Slovenian proved again that he’s the fastest man at the race. Elsewhere, very little changed as the race came to a drama-free conclusion.

This year’s Vuelta finished up where it started off, with a time trial and a cathedral. There was a definite end-of-term vibe going on, especially given one of the coolest kids didn’t turn up (lookin’ at you, Superman).

The early pace was set by Magnus Cort of EF because he hasn’t tried nearly hard enough at this race, has he? His reward was an extended session in the hot seat, which looked like it must have been really hot.

Primoz Roglic set off, turned the timing screen green and looked all set for a straightforward fourth stage win, but Roglic wouldn’t be Roglic if he didn’t serve up an anxious moment for his fans.

Despite the slip road slip-up, Jumbo’s powerhouse beat Cort’s time by 14 seconds and overtook his two-minute man Enric Mas (Movistar) for good measure.

 

Rojo Roglic

Primoz Roglic is a rider known as much for his calamities as his successes. However, at the Vuelta he’s been uncharacteristically consistent. This win is his third in a row, making him the undisputed King of Spain. The Slovenian has won every Vuelta he’s taken part in.

“Sweet problems” has been Primoz’s relaxed catchphrase at this race and he’s looked the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. He has an amazing ability to lock away the memories of his downfalls and stave off the anxieties they must give him.

For three weeks, he’s been Buddha on a bike. Calm, chilled, focussed and at one with the race. Beneath the tranquil surface, he’s been powerful and resilient, and we really got to see how he won this race. For Primoz, this wasn’t about getting his nose ahead and hanging tough. He attacked when he wanted to, seemingly for fun at times. Together with his mightily strong Jumbo team, he has had to keep his eye on at least five other riders who didn’t just fancy a slice of his red jersey, they actively went after it.

It didn’t matter who attacked though, Enric Mas, Miguel Angel Lopez, Egan Bernal, Jack Haig, and Adam Yates were all dealt with by the swan-like Rog, serenely applying his savage power.

The rest gave their best

Refreshingly for a grand tour, every single rider in the top ten has shone at some point in the race. The contenders actually contended. It’s thanks to their attacks that we know how good Roglic has been. They threw a lot at him, and he had an answer for it all. Every single rider from Enric Mas down to Felix Grossschartner (Bora) can go home knowing they did their best. As a fan, that is so good to see. No one was playing the percentage game; this was all or nothing racing. Roglic said his style was “no risk, no reward” but this could have been the mantra for all the top ten.

No matter what was thrown at Primoz, he dealt with it. Attacks, wrong turns, crashes…. pilgrim costumes?

Jersey Boys

QuickStep’s Fabio Jakobsen went home with three stage wins and the green points jersey. Last August, he was just glad to be alive, this September, he leaves Spain a multiple winner, surely THE feelgood story of the race.

Cherubic looking Michael Storer of DSM bagged two stages on his way to winning the King of the Mountains competition. I’d like to say something more but this contest has passed me by so.. eh.. yeah.. yay #CouchPeloton

Gino Mader has mader name for himself this year (geddit?) [Oh God, why …? -ed]. The famous second place to Primoz Rogic at Paris-Nice, an emphatic stage win at the Giro and a mighty assault on the young rider jersey at this Vuelta. Until stage 20, the white jersey was Egan Bernal’s to lose… and Mader mader real difference with a super strong performance. [Don’t ever do that again, Euan – ed]

 

Finally, Magnus Cort of EF was given the super combativity aggressive baddest of the bad asses award. Which is a remarkable achievement for a man who looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Do you need proof? Have another look:

“But Euan, what about the team competition?” I hear you say. I know why you’re asking, and all you need to know is this – THEY didn’t win it.

Odd man out

Finally, a mention for Odd Christian Eiking. The Norwegian from Wanty spent a week in the red jersey and held on to it with panache. He made a name for himself in Spain and should be content to know that for the rest of his career whenever he races, his Vuelta exploits will come to mind. He’s made fans for life.

 

The Last Word

All the results

Stage results 

1 Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 0:44:02

2 Magnus Cort (EF Education Nippo) +0:14

3 Thymen Arensamn (Team BDSM) +0:52

4 Josef Cerny (Deceuninck QuickStep) +1:16

5 Chad Haga (Team BDSM) +1L43

Final GC Top 10 

1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 83:55:29

2 Enric Mas (Movistar Team) +4:42

3 Jack Haig (Bahrain-Victorious) +7:40

4  Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) +9:06

5 Gino Mader (Bahrain Victorious) +11:33

6 Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) +13:27

7 David De La Cruz (UAE Team Emirates) +18:33

8 Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +18:55

9 Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +20:27

10 Felix Grossschartner (Bora-hansgrohe) +22:22

All the jerseys

Leader’s jersey : Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)

Points jersey : Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step)

King of the Mountains: Michael Storer (Team DSM)

Best young rider : Gino Mader (Bahrain Victorious)

Team : Bahrain Victorious

For full race results, go to CyclingNews

Official Vuelta website is here 

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