2022 season, Grand Tours, Vuelta a España

Vuelta a Espana 2022 : Stage 17 – Rigoberto Uran takes thriller of a breakaway win

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Stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana started with the sad, though not unexpected, news that Primoz Roglic would take no further part in the race and that everyone on the GC shuffled up one place.  The racing produced a zinger of attackityness from the breakaway on the final climb to Monasterio de Tentudia. Wait for it! EF Education EasyPost’s Rigoberto Uran (YES REALLY!) chased down Jesus Herrada in the closing metres to take his first win an age and climb into the top ten overall. Quentin Pacher  (Groupama-FDJ) pipped Herrada for second. Back in the GC, more surprises awaited as Enric Mas found his Movistar va-va-voom and attacked (I KNOW!) and Team UAE Emirates also channelled Movistar by having Joao Almeida attack and teammate Juan Ayuso cut his advantage.

Primoz news

The sad news at the start of the day. My heart breaks for him and for the racing he would have brought to us. However, it’s much better that he takes the time to rest and recover.

The Zingy breakaway

Look at the list of previous stage winners, puncheurs, baradouers and climbers. It was balls-to-the-walls racing to get into the break but once they got away, their gap ballooned out to over seven minutes. It stayed that way as they made their way to the expected fireworks on the 9.4km final climb of the day.

Lawson Craddock (EF Education EasyPost) wasn’t eager to leave it until then and attacked with 20km to go. When that was reeled in he tried again this time snapping the elastic.

He made it half way up the climb with around 25seconds in hand before the chasers started their moves.

I LOVE IT when riders just keep attacking lumps out of each other and that’s what we got.  Rigo and Clement Champoussin (AG2R-Citroen), Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) and Groupama-FDJ’s Quentin Pacher took it in turns. Lawson’s lead kept yo-yoing but he gritted his teeth and kept stomping out his rhythm. His slim advantage increasing every time the chasers started attacking each other on the steeper inclines.

Finally Uran, Herrada, Champoussin and Soler made the catch to Lawson in the final kilometre and we had five to play for the win. Herrada countered an attack from Champoussin and set off for stage win number two. I’m pretty sure Journal Velo was starting to get the Cofidis bunting out again. But as the ramp got steeper, Uran revved it up and went past him like a hot knife through butter to make his trio of Grand Tour wins and throw his team a WorldTour status lifeline.

Highlights

Rigo!

Rigoberto’s win was a popular one all over twitter,

and I know our own Luke is already daubing VeloVoices Tower in pink and green.

I do believe the VeloVoices can lay claim to this nickname

 

In his own words, from a rider who hasn’t taken a victory forr a while

A word for Lawson

When you target the stage, feel you have the legs to win and put your plan into action with everything you have. Lawson gave his heart and soul to take his first stage win and it so very nearly worked out.

Would the GC race?

With departure of Primoz, all hopes for a zesty GC battle rested with Movistar’s Enric Mas

It looked good

and then IT HAPPENED

the plea was answered

Perhaps the buffer to third place Ayuso gave him the confidence to risk it. Rojo Remco stuck to him like glue today but there are other climbs to come. We approve the effort Enric – and from his post race interview, it seems he will keep trying

Today there was no gap, but there were good feelings for me and the team. We knew that the climb was good for Evenepoel but we had to try it to see what everyone was doing. And that’s how we’ll do it every day.

Two minutes and and one second to claw back. watch this space

UAE Teamies

UAE Team Emirates had attacks to spare today. Not only was mercurial Marc Soler playing for stage honours again, but Joao Almeida attacked out of the GC group with all the pomp of his 2020 Giro exploits, crossing the line nine seconds ahead of the Remco and Mas. It possibly could have been more if his third placed teammate Ayuso hadn’t chosen to also attack and take Mas and Remco with him.  Yes, yes I know, Ayuso was probably looking for time on his rivals –  or was he? It’s not the first time the team seem to give out mixed messages.

 

Last word

Results

Stage 17 Top 5

1 Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost) 3:42:28

2 Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) s/t

3 Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) +0:02

4 Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +0:15

5 Kenny Elissonde (Trek Segafredo) +0:26

GC Top 10

1 Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl ) 64:14:05

2 Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:01

3 Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +4:51

4 Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) +5:20

5 Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Qazaqstan) +5:33

6 João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +6:51

7 Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) +7:46

8 Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroen Team) +9:11

9 Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost) +9:33

10 Jai Hindley (Bora-hansgrohe) +11:40

All the Jerseys

Leader’s jersey : Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)

Points jersey : Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)

King of the Mountains jersey : Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Young Rider Jersey : Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)

Team competition : UAE Team Emirates

For the full stage review, go to cyclingnews

Go here for the official La Vuelta website

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