Vuelta A España: Jonas Vingegaard Recovers From Crash To Win Stage Two

Jonas Vingegaard vanished powerfully to triumph nan mountaineous 2nd shape of nan Vuelta a España connected Sunday, emphasising his position arsenic nan wide classification favourite successful nan absence of Tadej Pogacar by outsprinting Giulio Ciccone connected nan slopes of Limone Piemonte successful bluish Italy.

Vingegaard had to get disconnected nan tarmac to get his hands connected nan reddish jersey aft being progressive successful a large clang that included a number of his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates, but he was capable to rejoin nan peloton pinch conscionable a bloodied near elbow. The Danish rider went connected to triumph successful a wide sprint featuring a number of GC rivals connected nan climb to nan municipality adjacent nan Italian separator pinch France.

“It’s been a while since my past victory, I’m ace happy pinch really I felt and really nan squad did today. Also ace happy to person nan reddish jersey,” Vingegaard said.

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) vanished 3rd but his teammate Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, who won nan Vuelta’s mountains classification successful 2020, was forced to retreat from nan title pursuing a crash.

In nan early running, Vingegaard was happy to stay successful nan peloton arsenic Gal Glivar, Jakub Otruba, Liam Slock and Sinuhe Fernandez formed a breakaway pack, taking a two-minute lead from nan bunch connected mostly level terrain.

The incident that saw Martin-Guyonnet became nan first rider to discontinue nan title came arsenic rainfall made nan roads treacherous connected nan 159.6-kilometer (100-mile) way from Alba. The Frenchman’s clang connected a descent came conscionable earlier Vingegaard was 1 of a number to autumn successful a abstracted incident astatine a roundabout.

“I went down beautiful hard, but it seems for illustration I didn’t wounded myself excessively bad. I person a spot of bruises, but I deliberation because it was truthful slippery, I was sliding much truthful I didn’t really get immoderate bad roadworthy rash aliases anything,” Vingegaard said.

Once nan roadworthy turned barren going into nan last 10km ascent, nan peloton began to trim nan spread to nan starring group and caught them halfway up nan climb.

The early leaders were swallowed up by nan peloton successful nan last kilometers, pinch Visma’s Wilco Kelderman driving nan bunch arsenic Vingegaard sat conscionable behind. Julien Bernard took complete for Lidl-Trek teammates Ciccone and Andrea Bagioli, earlier Spanish rider Marc Soler made a break 600 meters out. Yet, it was Vingegaard who pipped Ciccone to nan line, followed by David Gaudu and Egan Bernal of Ineos Grenadiers.

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who vanished 155th connected nan stage, retained nan greenish jersey for nan points classification.

The race’s 80th version features 8 acme finishes, including nan highly anticipated and perchance decisive climb of L’Angliru connected shape 13.

The opening stages of this year’s Vuelta are being held successful bluish Italy earlier shape 4 dips crossed into France. The racing past shifts to its Spanish homeland, avoiding immoderate racing successful nan south, earlier nan accepted decorativeness successful Madrid.

The title continues connected Monday pinch a 139km thrust from San Maurizio Canavese to Ceres.