Jacobsen from the Netherlands is celebrating his third victory in this year’s Vuelta a Espana stage

Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen celebrated his victory in the 16th stage of the multi-day cycling race “Vuelta a Espana” on Tuesday, winning the third stage of this year’s race, but the Norwegian Odd Christian Eiking (“Intermarcha – Wanty – Gobert Matariaux”) took the lead in the overall standings.

A representative of “Deceuninck – Quick Step” won on his 25th birthday. After Tuesday’s race, he became even stronger at the top of the sprinters’ standings. At the finish of the big group, the Dutchman surpassed “BORA – hansgrohe” rider from Belgium George Meuse and “UAE-Team Emirates” representative Mateo Trentina from Italy.

Surprisingly, Eiking still retains the lead overall. He is 54 seconds ahead of Frenchman Gijomas Martens (“Cofidis, Solutions Credits”) and a minute and 36 seconds ahead of last year’s champion Slovens Primožs Rogličs (“Team Jumbo-Visma”).

Eiking said he felt tired at the start of Tuesday’s race after Monday’s rest, in which he “slept all day” given the difficult Wednesday stage. The finish at the Covadong Lakes will be really crucial for the overall standings, and tomorrow there will be a really tough race from the start, ”said the 26-year-old all-rounder.

Jakobsen won his last victory in front of the visiting team’s executive director. “Birthday is always a good day, but I’m over a month with this victory. I fell on the climb, the guys were waiting for me, I was taken back to the peleton, and I won the race, ”said the lucky winner. “I can only win a short, fast sprint. The rest of the team did it today, ”said Jakobsen.

The Dutch sprinter with the green “sprint king” shirt on his back now has 250 points, while Trentin is in second place with 123 points. Eiking, the leader of the overall rating, said that “I feel good, I’ve never been in such good shape”. Defender Roglič retains a good chance to win on the last day of the competition, when the 33.8-kilometer-long individual competition will take place, as he is the Olympic champion in this discipline.

So followers – Spaniard Enrik Masas (+2: 11), Colombian Miguel Anhel Lopez (+3: 04) from the “Movistar” team and “Ineos Grenadiers” rider from Colombia Egan Bernal – are left in the 17th and 18th stages to try to overtake the Slovenes. On Wednesday, cyclists will measure 185.8 kilometers with one third, two first category ascents and the highest category ascent to the finish on the way to Covadong Lakes. This year, the last of the major tours will finish on September 5 in Santiago de Compostela.