On Tuesday, Wout van Aert completed a hat trick with a breakaway win in Baiona, edging out Quentin Pacher in a sprint. Ben O’Connor retained the red jersey with the GC battle quiet, and Michael Woods remained 24th overall.
Van Aert and Pacher got away when the Belgian launched a cheeky attack. This year’s race has been dominated by breakaways, highlighted by O’Connor’s solo lead and strong performances from Richard Carapaz and Adam Yates on Sunday.
The stage following the rest day favored escapees again, with a challenging 160 km course from Ponteareas to Baiona, featuring a tough Cat. 2 climb early on and three categorized climbs later.
The winning move
Van Aert’s breakaway group—Pacher, William Lecerf, Marc Soler, and Juri Hollmann—gained ground on Cat. 2 Alto de Fontefría. Despite the peloton’s temporary ease, Van Aert’s group built a 6-minute lead by the first of the three climbs. By the top of Cat. 2 Alto de Mabia, the lead was slightly reduced.
The Visma – Lease a Bike rider attacked before the final climb, Alto de Mougás, with Pacher joining him. It was quite the move—Soler was getting a bottle from the team car when the Belgian launched. The rest of the group were caught unawares, with only Pacher able to bridge up to him.
How long can you actually hold onto a sticky bottle in a pro race?
The duo finished 4:30 ahead of the peloton, with Van Aert taking the KOM lead as well. Pacher led out the sprint, with Van Aert easily outsprinting him.
Although there is an unwritten rule that riders in the pro ranks shouldn’t attack in the feed zone, whether or not you should when a rival is getting a bottle isn’t quite the same. The chaos of the zone de ravitaillement isn’t like when you’re in a small break getting a bidon. (If ever there was the time for a super-sticky bottle, it was then, tbh!)
Either way, it shows that you have to pay attention at all times in a break—you never know what might happen next. For Van Aert, his surprise attack worked perfectly.
Check out the move below.
La pillería de Van Aert atacando en la fuga mientras Marc Soler bajaba al coche a por bidones.#LaVuelta24 | #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/puEDrA0ToF
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) August 27, 2024
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