Marc Soler kissed his wrist when he went in a goal to dedicate the triumph to his wife. “It’s his birthday,” he explained later. Victory is a tribute to her and also for him, who already lost a triumph in the same place almost over the arrival line. It was five years ago, when the pandemia turned the return into an autumn race, the last time the return had climbed to the pharrapona, to the natural place of the Lakes of Somiedo.
So Guisorresurrected in the early stages of this return and disappeared later, won soler in the sprint. It was another Marc that who defended the colors of Movistar, a corridor who had already won a stage in Lekunberri but who trusted much less in his possibilities. A cyclist who once compared with Indurain and still tried to find his place in the platoon.
He has done so in the UAE by Matxin’s hand, without the obligation to be a leader for the greats and freely to become a fortune search engine. It is often found, although it is not planned, as at this stage of the pharrapona.
Soler had, in principle, the obligation to work for Almeida, The “boss”, the UAE man who disputes the final triumph to Vingegaard. As Juan Ayuso did in the slopes of San Lorenzo, the penultimate port of the day. But he saw that Campenaerts, one of Danish’s companions, got into the escape of the day, an adventure of more than 20 runners, and went with him. Among them only survived Soler, who had one eye in front and another behind.
His chances of fighting the stage depended on the movements behind. Uae bet on both sites. Ahead he threw with Soler; Behind, with Ayuso, with Grosschartner and with Vine to accelerate the rhythm and wear down Vingegaard. They prepared everything for an Almeida attack that never arrived.
The wind came face with enough force to turn any attack into a heroicity. And heroes don’t have left. Cyclists are, good, some very good, but none with legend legs to become legends. Neither legs nor desire.
And in those UAE intends to continue wearing Vingegaard with the aim of finishing for it in the third week. And the Danish is kept thinking about the Valladolid counterreloj To sentence a return that bears his name from the exit in Turin, a couple of lives or more ago.
He continues to wear red; The UAE, accumulating victories with a mood. Like Uncle Gilito had coins, the Emiratí team counts victories. They are already half of those that have been disputed, seven fourteen. Two of Ayuso, two from Vine, one from Almeida, the team counter and now another of Soler.
Vingegaard doesn’t care about these exhibitions. And neither because Jai Hindley has joined Almeida already in the last two stages. «I am in a good position, I have two stages and the leadership and I am happy with it», Says the Danish. It does not need more, even if UAE continues to add.
