The cycling gods – and especially the course designer – were once again kind to the sprinters in this Vuelta.
After the last sprint in week 1 went completely wrong, the fast men had to wait a long time for a new opportunity. In an extremely tough second week, every sprinter would undoubtedly have tackled that one stage without a single categorized climb.
Everything was done to release the bulls at the finish in Zaragoza. We once again saw a real textbook example of a sprint stage.
After just 2 kilometers, Jetse Bol and Abel Balderstone were given the freedom of the peloton to gain publicity, but the duo would never play a significant role.
Against all expectations, Primoz Roglic would do that today. In the intermediate sprint at about 20 kilometers from the finish, the Slovenian cleverly picked up 4 bonus seconds.
Then it was time to look forward to the real sprint. Alpecin-Deceuninck had spent a day busy with the cross for Kaden Groves’ hat-trick, but the Australian would ultimately miss the opportunity. He shot out of his click pedal.
So, top favorite. Who would do it then?
It was the boys from UAE Team Emirates who finally launched their fast man perfectly. Juan Sebastian Molano Benavides immediately opened a gap that no one would close.
A first victory for the Colombian, who is completely back after his heavy fall in the spring. Tomorrow it’s the classification men’s turn again.
Juan Sebastian Molano: “Very happy to be able to win again after my heavy crash in the spring”
After an earlier second place, today it was a prize for Molano. “I am very happy with this,” he said afterwards. “I dedicate this victory to the team and to my family.”
“Last year I was able to win a stage in the Vuelta (the final stage in Madrid, ed.), now I’m winning again. Everything that didn’t go well the previous times was now going well.”
“I’m also happy that I can win again after my heavy crash in the spring,” the Colombian concludes.
