Back to Spain
stage 5
The Catalan closes the drought of the Spaniards in the grand tours and prevails in Bilbao in an electrifying final, in which he held his advantage by four seconds
24/08/2022
Updated at 5:47 p.m.
On Bilbao’s Gran Vía, on a superlatively sultry cloudy day, Marc Soler crosses his bicycle like a black and white arrow. It is a slow agony of the Catalan runner, who he has seen as his pursuers beat him seconds by kilometer after the climb to Alto del Vivero. In this discount, Soler arms himself with courage and pride, pedals even faster, he leaves his life in each shoe. Bilbao, future venue for the start of the 2023 Tour, traditional cradle of this sport due to its love and wisdom, crowns the solitary cyclist. Marc Soler closes with a finger to his lips, in dedication pacifier to his girl, a superlative and annoying drought in Spanish cycling: 121 stages and two years without victories since Ion Izaguirre’s success at the Formigal station. He triumphs at the finish line, the Spanish peloton breathes again.