Red jersey Remco Evenepoel showed his first weakness of the 2022 Vuelta a España on Saturday’s 14th stage, unable to go with Primoz Roglič on the day’s summit finish climb. Roglič pulled back 52 seconds of his 2:41 deficit. For the second time in three days, Richard Carapaz won from a breakaway.
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The Course
Stage 14 was 160 km in Andalusia with three climbs in the final third. A easy-grade Cat. 3 came before a two-step finale: Cat. 2 Puerto de Los Villares, 10 km of 5.5 percent, and then Cat. 1 Sierra de La Pandera, 8.6 km of 7.5 percent. It was another hot day.
Back to La Pandera!
Used for the first time in 2002, this tough 8.4km climb averaging 7.8% is visited by #LaVuelta22 for the sixth time and should see another episode of the fight between the GC favourites. pic.twitter.com/gSYgweHXrp
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) September 3, 2022
If the first 13 stages proved anything, it’s that the peloton wasn’t willing to chase down breakaways on mountain stages, just sprint stages. Six fugitives had won the last nine stages, and Thursday’s mountain day elicited a 32-man breakaway while Friday’s sprint route coaxed a trio of hopefuls. Surely, Saturday’s victor would be a fugitive, right?
However, the frenetic action over the first 65 km saw multiple breaks reabsorbed and a split in the peloton that was mended. Would a group finally bounce free?
With 85 km to go, an octet billowed off the front of the field. Thursday’s and Friday’s winners Richard Carapaz and Mads Pedersen were accounted for. Two chasers bridged to make it a tenner.
Carapaz tipped over Cat. 3 Puerto de Siete Pilillas first, the fugitives’ gap at 4:20. With Quick Step and Jumbo-Visma driving the peloton, the lead was down to 2:40 by the top of Puerto de Los Villares. Carapaz and LL Sanchez separated themselves from their breakmates. Clément Champoussin and Filippo Conca linked up with them on the final climb.
The peloton was wee and steaming towards the top. Roglič attacked on steepest part of the climb.
Evenepoel wasn’t on a good day. Enric Mas, Angel Lopez and Carlos Rodriguez dropped him. Juan Ayuso had a terribly-timed flat. Mas and Lopez reached Roglič.
Up ahead Carapaz had gone solo. Mas fell away from Lopez and Roglič. The chasing duo finished only eight seconds back of Carapaz. Lopez jumped up a…
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