Ecuadorian climber Richard Carapaz won Thursday at the top of the Penas Blancas, in Andalusia, at the end of the 12th stage of the Tour of Spain, where the Belgian Remco Evenepoel kept his red leader’s jersey.
Unhooked overall, the leader of Ineos placed a decisive attack two kilometers from the finish in the leading group to win alone with eight seconds ahead of the Dutchman Wilco Kelderman (Bora) and 25 on Spaniard Marc Soler (UAE). The Olympic champion in Tokyo and winner of the Giro 2019 raises his arms for the first time in his career on the Spanish loop. At the foot of the last difficulty of the day, the leading group, made up of 32 riders, was almost eleven minutes ahead of the peloton, where Evenepoel hoped that the breakaway would go to the end to more easily control its main rivals in the general. .
Overall, the red jersey Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step) maintains his 2 minutes and 41 lead over his runner-up, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo). Enric Mas (Movistar) still completes the podium, at 3:03.
Evenepoel falls but wastes no time
Untouchable since the start of the Vuelta, Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step), who is aiming for his first big tour, has shown the first signs of weakness. The day after the abandonment of his teammate Julian Alaphilippe, victim of a dislocation of the right shoulder after a fall, the young Belgian slipped in turn, starting at fault 45 kilometers from the finish in a descent. the “little cannibal” got up with scratches to his thigh, elbow and right knee, but he managed to control the group of leaders on the last climb of the day (19 km at 6.7%). The 22-year-old Belgian crossed the line 7 minutes and 38 seconds after Carapaz, with his main rivals – Mas, Juan Ayuso (UAE) and Roglic. “Okay okay. It’s just a superficial wound, there’s nothing serious inside. I’ve had a lot worse in recent years.”reassured Evenepoel about his physical condition.
On Thursday, three more riders threw in the towel on the Spanish loop: Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Boy van Poppel (Intermarché), positive for Covid, and Callum Scotson (BikeExchange) “unable to start”, despite a negative Covid test. A total of 36 runners have given up since the start of the Vuelta, the majority of them due to proven Covid contamination.
Friday’s stage will honor the punchers with a flat but winding stage between Ronda and Montilla before tackling a terrible weekend in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
