After Ben O’Connor’s extraordinary solo victory on Thursday that saw his sitting pretty in red, Friday’s stage of 79th Vuelta a España seemed like one for the sprinters. Wout van Aert took his second win while wearing green, but he outsprinted mostly GC riders. Michael Woods was 15th on the day, rising five spots to 34th on GC.
Friday was the first time Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale ever wore red in the Vuelta. They were over the moon.
🇪🇸 @lavuelta – Étape 7
Vous ne verrez rien de plus beau ajourd’hui 🤩🫶
You won’t see anything more beautiful today 🤩🫶#DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM pic.twitter.com/Gf3lXilLHP
— DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM (@decathlonAG2RLM) August 23, 2024
The Course
The only categorized climb along the 180 km route from Archidona to Cordoba was named Alto del 14%. The Cat. 2 was actually 5.6 percent, but there was 14 percent inside the final two kilometres. It was a sizzling day in Southern Spain.
A day for the breakaway at #LaVuelta24?
The presence of Alto del 14% and the tricky descent to the finish could play into the attackers’ advantage. pic.twitter.com/dC5YYyAHaJ
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) August 23, 2024
Special tribute should be paid to Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Xabier Isasa. The Spanish ProTeams have been very active in the Vuelta breakaways, and on Friday Isasa decided to try one solo from the gun, pulling out a maximum of 7:30 on the eve of his 23rd birthday.
The day’s intermediate sprint in the finish town of Cordoba was near the base of the 14% climb. The peloton flew through it a minute after Isasa. The intrepid fugitive was soon reeled in.
Visma-Lease a Bike powered the field on the lower slopes before Red Bull decided to turn the screws and pare down the numbers. Primož Roglič accelerated before the final kilometre and led a small elite group over the top, yanking back six seconds of the 4:51 deficit to O’Connor. The route then undulated for 10 km before a tricky descent. Marc Soler busted free and led the 25-strong red jersey group down the hill.
Van Aert lit out in pursuit of Soler when the road flattened. It would be Sepp Kuss who finally brought back Soler with 3 km to go. David Gaudu made a surge but all for naught. Pavel Sivakov attacked before the red kite but was corralled with 400 metres to go. Mathias Vacek went early, van Aert reacted…
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