Primož Roglič waited a long time to attack Remco Evenepoel on the only HC-rated summit finish of the 2022 Vuelta a España, but he pulled back 15 seconds on the red jersey in the last two kilometres. The day’s winner was another breakaway, Thymen Arensman (The Netherlands/DSM), who grabbed his first career Grand Tour victory. Evenepoel still leads Roglič by 1:34.
✅Queen stage
✅Going solo to Sierra Nevada
✅First @lavuelta win
✅Incredible scenesChapeau @ThymenArensman – enjoy this one, you’ve earned it! 🙌🏻 #KeepChallenging #LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/njzEiZ3ICb
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) September 4, 2022
You can watch the 77th Vuelta a España at FloBikes.
The Course
At the end of 152 km, following a 9-km, 7.5 percent Cat. 1, sat the only HC-rated summit finish of the 2022 Vuelta. Sierra Nevada was 23 km of 6.6 percent, its steepest grades in the opening slopes.
Big day ahead at #LaVuelta22, with a daunting finish in Sierra Nevada on Alto de Monachil, which will come after another tough climb, Alto del Purche. pic.twitter.com/dsQFy0FTKT
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) September 4, 2022
It was another frenetically-paced start, with 8th place Wilco Kelderman crashing and having to chase back with two teammates. A trio of breakaways found 23 more fellows joining in. Thymen Arensman was best placed at +9:14. Previous stage winners: Richard Carapaz, Jay Vine, Marc Soler, Louis Meintjes and Mads Pedersen.
#LaVuelta22, Stage 15. Kelderman is back to peloton. 👍 pic.twitter.com/GH6L82nK7O
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) September 4, 2022
Jay Vine buttressed his KOM lead by being first over the first categorized climb, Puerto del Castillo. There were 65 km until the next climb, the difficult Cat. 1 Alto del Purche. American Lawson Craddock decided to solo away from his breakmates, while AG2R-Citroën helped out Quick Step with the pace making in the peloton.
On Alto del Purche, the Carapaz-Vine group fragmented. Vine bridged over to the American, dispatched him and then put the maximum KOM points in his pocket. On the way to Sierra Nevada Carapaz and nine others joined Vine and Craddock. The Dutch Bees of Jumbo-Visma drove the favourites group.
The Sierra Nevada Monster
The breakaway was 3:30 clear of the red jersey group at the foot of the HC challenge. Soler jumped away from the other fugitives.
Roglič…
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