Minutes after the dust had settled at the finish of stage 8 of the Vuelta a España, veteran Elia Viviani (Lotto) was still hunched over his handlebars, teary and emotional in defeat, having almost rolled back the years in the sprint.
He had suffered great heartbreak as a first Grand Tour stage win in seven years went from staring him in the face to being snatched at the last by one of cycling’s top sprinters – Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
“It’s a big shame to lose, but it’s even more painful with the job of the team – it was amazing as you see. They put me in the perfect position, and there was a bit of confusion about where to start – if they open the door on the left or the right.
Viviani’s relegation came as a result of his sprinting to the right instead of straight once he opened up with the line in sight, which forced Philipsen to go close to the barrier. However, the Italian stressed his intention was, of course, never to squeeze the Belgian to the point he’d back out – shown best by…
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