This final stage will decide the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. Buchmann needs a monster performance to take the GC lead from Gesink, but it’s not impossible. Behind those two, the entire Top 10 are still in flux, lots of riders to keep an eye on today - let’s try and do just that.
In addition to the GC, there’s also still the KoM competition that has to be settled. With 36 points available from the 6 sprints (as well as 20 from the finish), it’s no surprise to see classification leader Le Court in the breakaway for the fourth time in as many road stages. She follows the attacks of Habtemichael, Stork and Majoral. The latter has some mountain points, but his 14 aren’t really a threat compared to Le Court’s 47.
Another very interesting move: Prevar has attacked from the peloton! The Ukranian champion is among the very best puncheurs here, but with +5’31 in the GC, he apparently feels like he has to try something big.
Prevar catches up just in time to win the first KoM sprint ahead of Habtemichael and Stork. No points for Le Court, but as long as her closest competitor Ropero isn’t with her, she doesn’t have much to fear.
After a lengthy chase, three more riders join the breakaway: Rubio, Laas and Portela. They have 2 minutes on the peloton.
Le Court again misses out on points at the second KoM sprint, but again, at this point that doesn’t seem like a big deal.
She finally has the right timing at the third KoM sprint, though, strengthening her grip on the KoM jersey.
Looking at the provisional classification, with only 38 points left, 20 of which are from the finish, the only szenario for Le Court to lose the jersey might be a stage win by Ropero, which, with all due respect, doesn’t seem likely.
In these really hilly sections, the pace in the group becomes too much for Rubio. Stork is in trouble as well. The peloton is coming closer now, too, just 2 minutes behind the leaders.
Speaking of: The terrain has had a serious impact on the pack as well! 21 riders remain in the first group. 7th overall Dulanjana is in the first chasing group, 12th Lemus Davila another group behind alongside Top 20 riders Paulinho, Andriafenomananiaina, and Goh.
Those have a gap of around 1’30 on the yellow jersey group, while Gallopin (14th), Errazkin (18th) and Jones (20th) are another 40 seconds behind in a group that also contains Schreurs and Yates! Still a long way to go, of course.
Laas is the strongest over the next classified climb and the breakaway starts to splinter. Stork has fallen behind for good and Le Court is in trouble now as well.
With the help of Gautier and Kanerva, Dulanjana makes it back to the yellow jersey group, but just barely and it’s going to continue to be a challenge to hang on. Thurau is currently then man making the pace, but not a lot of other domestiques are left in there, we’ll see how this develops.
Prevar and Laas are clearly the strongest of the breakway riders. They carry a gap of 2’20 into the final 55 kilometers, many of which are a bit flatter from now on. That could also be an opportunity for the Lemus Davila / Paulinho group, which still trails the peloton by more than a minute.
It was a bit to be expected: Without much domestique firepower, the yellow jersey group slowed down a bit, which allowed most of the riders mentioned above to catch back up again. Of the Top 25, only De Luna and Schreurs are still missing.
But that unity wouldn’t last too long. On the flat stretch heading into the final climbs, only 32 riders remain in the first group. Paulinho, Errazkin and Jones have fallen behind once again, and this time Uwizeyimana has as well. This feels permanent now.
At the front, Prevar has left Laas behind. With an advantage of 3 minutes and 20 kilometers to go, a stage win doesn’t seem impossible anymore, but there are of course some steep climbs remaining that could cost him a lot of time.
Under intense pressure by Gesink, the peloton breaks into pieces over the very steep short climb just after the final KoM sprint. For the moment, only his teammate Goh, Oomen and Borisavljevic can stay with him. Buchmann leads the second group, but a few major contenders are in danger of losing contact there. We’ll take stock once things clear up after the descent.
Most of the Top 10 riders actually managed to stay up front and Buchmann brought the quartet around Gesink back. But Dulanjana, 7th overall, is in this group of nine, 50 seconds behind. He still has Gautier working for him, but not a lot of time to catch up.
Prevar enters the climb still with 1’36 in hand. But that climb is quite something …
At least the first few kilometers are. With gradients of up to 18 %, this is a big task for everyone. Towards the summit though, it gets a little easier, and the finale towards the finish is even downhill.
It’s probably appropriate at this point to have a closer look at the 20 riders entering the climb alongside Gesink. In ascending GC order, they are:
2
Emanuel Buchmann
Mapei
+ 44
3
Johan Esteban Chaves
Azteca - NBCSN
+ 1'39
4
Ion Izagirre
Polar
+ 1'46
5
Sam Oomen
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 1'57
6
Milos Borisavljevic
Aramco DP
s.t.
8
Chad Haga
Minions
+ 2'02
9
Leopold Konig
Adastra N Hell Energy Cycling
+ 2'18
10
Xandro Meurisse
Xero Racing
+ 2'27
11
Tom Jelte Slagter
Campari Asahi Procycling
+ 2'38
13
Alexandor Cataford
Podium Ambition
+ 3'47
14
Tony Gallopin
Bakkafrost
+ 3'57
19
Choon Huat Goh
Duolingo
+ 4'51
24
Simon Yates
Desigual
+ 5'03
26
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
Swisslion Cycling Team
+ 5'28
27
Hugo Houle
Xero Racing
+ 5'30
44
Aberlardo Ablenado
Swisslion Cycling Team
+ 10'21
62
Jordi Majoral
Andorra Cycling Project
+ 12'46
73
Arthur Vichot
Bakkafrost
+ 15'21
In a group 55 seconds behind, we have
7
Sachin Dulanjana
Valio - Viking Genetics
+ 1'58
12
Luis Enrique Lemus Davila
Mapei
+ 3'41
17
Zouzou Andriafenomananiaina
Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff
+ 4'38
25
Laurens De Plus
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 5'13
Everyone else is too far behind to play a significant role, either today or likely in the GC.
The first attack comes from Slagter, followed immediately by Oomen, Borisavljevic and then Gesink.
That acceleration is too much for first Gallopin and Cataford and then Yates and Goh.
It’s also the end of Prevar’s breakaway efforts. A strong stage from him so far, but it’s going to be tough to hang on now.
Meanwhile, Slagter and Oomen get a gap!
Indeed, The Ukranian champ soon falls behind. He’s not the only one though, as Houle, Gilanipoor, Nepomnyachsniy and Haga can’t keep up anymore either. The Minions’ leader has had a terrific race so far, but he has to fear for his Top 10 spot now.
We’re in the final few hundred really steep meters, and Gesink might be very grateful for that. He finds himself at the back of the group - or is this just a tactical game? Izagirre leads the chase of the duo out in front, Meurisse, Buchmann, Chaves, Borisavljevic and Konig still with him.
Buchmann, possibly sensing weakness in Gesink, attacks!
But he gets hardly any seperation and Gesink manages to hang on. Slagter and Oomen still have around 15 seconds and they’re almost at the summit.
Under the flamme rouge, they’re side by side, and they will make it! Both aren’t particularly great sprinters, pretty evenly matched there.
Oomen has the inside track in the final corner …
… but Slagter comes out of it with slightly higher speed. This is going to be super close!
Slagter takes it! In a wild downhill finish that certainly shouldn’t pass modern security standards, he celebrates a big win for Campari and makes a jump in the GC. Oomen has a shot at the podium as well now, he was 18 seconds behind Chaves and collects 12 bonus seconds.
Gesink really isn’t at his best here, but he’s so close to the finish that it doesn’t matter. He will finish 9th today, but 1st overall!
The sprint for third is similarly close to the one for the win. Izagirre wins it and thanks to the bonus seconds, he overtakes Chaves in the GC by a single second! But will it be enough to keep Oomen at bay? We’ll have to see.
Buchmann finishes fourth, securing the points classification. Meurisse is fifth, he’ll move up 2 places in the GC today, as will Konig.
After Gesink, Nepomnyachsniy comes in next, followed by his teammate Gilanipoor a good minute later. Both move up in the GC significantly, some really solid depth points for Swisslion here.
Haga loses places to Meurisse, Konig and Slagter and is even passed by Nepomnyachsniy by a mere 2 seconds. The American ends up 11th overall.
Houle, Prevar and Yates complete the Top 15, all moving up a bit in the GC as well. Goh finishes next, rounding out a fantastic domestique performance throughout the entire race.
Today’s biggest loser (at least in the Top 10) is Dulanjana, coming in almost 7 minutes behind Slagter and dropping from 7th all the way to 13th - although that is possibly still more than he would have anticipated pre-race.
To wrap things up, let’s answer the big GC question first: In third place, the final step on the podium, we have … Oomen! He beats Izagirre by 7 seconds, what a standout performance by the young Belgian, who obviously also wins the young riders classification.
While 4 of the Top 5 are expectedly from the ranks of the very best puncheurs, we’ve also seen that this was a race that suited climbers pretty well. Oomen is the biggest example, but Borisavljevic, Konig and Nepomnyachsniy in the Top 10 underscore this point, too.
Vuelta al Pais Vasco 
