Jay Vine’s Solo Attack Wins Vuelta’s Sixth Stage As Vingegaard Loses Lead To Traeen

Australian cyclist Jay Vine launched a solo onslaught disconnected a breakaway group successful nan last 20 kilometres to triumph shape six of nan Vuelta a España connected Thursday, pinch Torstein Traeen of Norway taking 2nd spot and nan wide title lead from Jonas Vingegaard.

Vine was portion of a 10-man group which sewage distant early connected nan 170.3km thrust from Olot to Pal successful Andorra, earlier nan UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider went for collapsed and held disconnected nan chasers to unafraid nan 3rd individual Vuelta shape triumph of his career.

“The Vuelta wasn’t connected my schedule originally, truthful to beryllium capable to triumph successful Andorra successful beforehand of my boy and woman is unbelievable and incredibly motivating,” Vine, who lives successful Andorra, said. “That past 5km, each I could deliberation of was ‘This is for you Harrison, this is for you’.”

The first existent upland shape of this year’s title brought nan first large shake-up successful nan wide standings, pinch 4 of nan group which escaped nan peloton overtaking title favourite Vingegaard successful nan wide standings.

Traeen, riding for Bahrain Victorious, came successful 54 seconds down Vine, capable to move from 26th wide to nan apical of nan wide classification, pinch a 31-second lead complete Frenchman Bruno Armirail, who vanished 4th connected nan stage.

Italy’s Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) was 3rd complete nan statement and is besides 3rd overall, while Vine’s teammate Vingegaard dropped from first to fifth, 2 minutes and 33 seconds adrift of Traeen.

The riders were climbing from nan commencement and nan breakaway made their successful move connected nan first ascent, pinch Vine first complete nan acme of Collada de Sentigosa, arsenic past year’s mountains classification victor showed early signs of his climbing prowess.

Norway’s Torstein Traeen attacked adjacent nan extremity of shape six and his 2nd spot earned him nan wide lead successful nan Vuelta. Photograph: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Vine and his companions steadily accrued their lead, overcoming nan class 1 climb of Collada de Toses successful bedewed conditions. With 40km left, nan relaxed peloton trailed by much than six minutes, and while they later began to eat into nan gap, it was excessively precocious to haul successful nan riders retired successful front.

Vine was again first erstwhile they topped La Comella, and nan Australian pushed up connected nan descent, pulling further distant connected nan last climb to nan decorativeness and ne'er looked for illustration getting caught.

“I cognize these roads beautiful well. I’m from conscionable down nan hill, and La Comella is my favourite climb successful each of Andorra,” Vine said. “I decided to spell astatine nan apical and pinch nan bedewed descent, I cognize nan descent really good and I thought, ‘OK, this is my chance to get distant and past there’s nary funny business’.”

With riders for illustration Armirail, Fortunato and Louis Vervaeke threatening Traeen’s reddish jersey bid, nan 30-year-old Norwegian, who 3 years agone was diagnosed pinch testicular cancer, launched his ain attack.

The title continues successful nan mountains for Friday’s shape seven, taking nan riders 188km from Andorra la Vella to different class 1 climb to nan decorativeness astatine Cerler.