Jonas Vingegaard Powers To Vuelta Stage Nine Win With Valdezcaray Climb

The doubly Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard won shape 9 of nan Vuelta a España pinch a solo onslaught connected nan climactic climb to Valdezcaray connected Sunday, shaving astir 2 minutes disconnected nan spread to nan overall leader Torstein Træen, who is up by 37 seconds.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Vingegaard dominated nan 13.2km class 1 climb astatine nan extremity of nan 195.5km thrust from Alfaro to nan Valdezcaray skis edifice and though Tom Pidcock and João Almeida tried to chase, they vanished 24sec disconnected nan pace.

Vingegaard, who had a mechanical rumor during nan shape but caught up pinch nan peloton again pinch 75km to go, said he knew it was his time erstwhile he put his squad astatine nan beforehand for nan last climb.

“I felt awesome today, and I felt astonishing connected nan last climb. I asked them to accelerate, and they did a awesome job. It was awesome teamwork, and I’m very happy that I was capable to decorativeness it off,” nan 28-year-old Dane said.

The Norwegian Træen, who had fallen down nan peloton during nan climb, launched a precocious onslaught successful nan last 3km to decorativeness 1min 46sec down Vingegaard, retaining nan reddish jersey.

During nan shape location were respective grounded attempts to break distant early connected until Michel Hessmann, Liam Slock, Michal Kwiatkowski, Archie Ryan and Kevin Vermaerke formed a starring group, building a 2min spread astir nan 70km mark.

The riders faced dense rainfall astir 120km into nan stage, and nan peloton maintained nan spread to nan leaders earlier quickly closing region pinch nan breakaway 5 successful nan last 30km.

Lidl-Trek riders Carlos Verona and Andrea Bagioli attempted to lead retired their teammate Giulio Ciccone early connected nan climb, but Vingegaard stayed connected their heels earlier launching an onslaught pinch 11km to go.

Italy’s Ciccone could not support up nan chase, while Briton Pidcock (Q36.5) and Portugal’s Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) charged up to decorativeness connected nan podium.

Almeida sits 3rd successful nan wide classification, 1min 15sec down Træen. Pidcock is fourth, 20sec down Almeida. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) remained astatine nan apical of nan points classification, retaining nan greenish jersey. The title continues aft a remainder time pinch a 175.3km thrust from Arguedas to El Ferial Larra Belagua connected Wednesday.