German professional cyclist Lennard Kämna missed his second victory at the 78th edition of the Vuelta. A fall shortly before the finish didn’t stop the 27-year-old – it was only in the sprint that he narrowly failed to finish second at the finish in Lekunberri. After the 158.3 kilometers of the 15th stage, the Portuguese Rui Costa won, Santiago Buitrago came third. Last Sunday, Kämna celebrated his first Vuelta success, winning once in each of the three Grand Tours.
“I really had a pretty good chance. “It was stupid of me to take such a risky turn,” said Kämna at Eurosport. His subsequent return to the top surprised him.
About 100 kilometers from the finish a group had formed, which also included the German riders Nico Denz, who was at the front for a long time, and Kämna. The man from Bremen had a remarkable exchange of blows with Buitrago and Costa eight kilometers before the end. Just under 2.5 kilometers from the finish, Kämna fell and the two opponents passed. But he immediately got back on the bike and came back.
Nothing changed at the top of the overall standings. One day before the second rest day, the three top riders Sepp Kuss, Primoz Roglic and Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard continue to dominate the Grand Tour. Kuss leads Roglic by 1:37 minutes. Kämna is not in the top ten.
Evenepoel redeems himself for defeat
Last year’s winner Remco Evenepoel had rehabilitated himself somewhat with the day’s victory on Saturday, one day after his heavy defeat and a gap to the top of 27 minutes. But his gap to the top is still a whopping 16:22 minutes.
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After the rest day on Monday, the professional cyclists can expect a mostly flat, undulating stage a day later between Liencres Playa and Bejes, which is likely to end in a steep showdown. The target climb for category two includes a 14 percent gradient in the last five kilometers.
