Welcome to the eleventh stage of La Vuelta 2020! In a couple of hours the rider will be over halfway the GT season, and what a beast of a stage to accomplish it! Only 136 km on the menu today, but a lot of them are uphill! One mountain of second category, three of first category and two HC mountains! The riders immediately go uphill at the start line, and the finish line will be on top of the last (HC) mountain of the day. It’s very likely that three out of four jerseys will be switched today, with Grosu probably remaining in green. Let’s find out what riders are first to attack!
Fenn is the first to attack and takes five riders with him, but he is also the first to be dropped! KoM-leader Toupalik and Bagioli try to get in the first group as well, but so far it’s the following five riders who are ahead: Anacona, van Zyl, Sergis, Sipos and Gillett (23rd GC at 4’20”).
5 km to climb on the Collada de Beixalis (1st category) and Sipos is also dropped in the leading group. Mas and Harper trying to join the leading group now.
The first eight riders come together, which causes Sergis to attack. The Evonik riders takes 16 KoM-points and is now only 8 points behind the KoM-leader, while decent points also go to van Zyl, Gillett and Harper. Many riders now attacking during a very chaotic opening of this stage, but if one thing is certain, it is that the peloton is already 7’ behind the head of the race when they cross the summit!
The riders start the Coll d’Ordino at 115 km to the finish line. It is 11.8 km long and has an average gradient of 6.6%. Those are the first three groups, all quite close together. Another 1’30” behind the third group are four very interesting names though: Arndt, Teuns, Bouchard and Daniel. The German from Puma lost a lot of time in the time trial two days ago, and is looking to make up for it now.
Sergis is a man on a mission. He attacks near the end of de Coll d’Ordino! He has to be content with a second place though, as Novak grabs the sixteen points as the first fourteen riders in the race came together up front. The group Arndt at 2’30”, while some more riders have joined that group: Kruijswijk, Elissonde, Godoy, Kozhatayev and Rosch.
Anacona and Sipos are in trouble in the first group, while the peloton crosses the top of the Coll d’Ordino 5’15” later than that first group. Vincent doing a lot of work now for Team UBS. Ligthart is last in the race at 13’ of the first group. Will he survive today? It won’t be easy!
With 80 km to the finish line, nobody up fronts sprints for the points at the first intermediate of the day. Soon the riders will begin the third and last mountain of first category of the day, the Coll de la Rabassa. The groups are still the same, with Sipos in no man’s land . The peloton at 4’30” from the first group now, as Team UBS is receiving aid from Team Tinkoff – La Datcha and Rakuten Pro Cycling.
13 km at an average of 7.1%, that’s the Coll de la Rabassa. The leading groups all come together with more than ten km to climb, the only one that missed the boat is poor Sipos. The peloton isn’t toying though, as thanks to the help of Moser – Sygic and Festina – OAKA they are only 3’ behind.
Still more than 5 km to climb, but Daniel has to let go of the other 21 leaders! We see the peloton already cut in half, and that’s all because Lecuisinier’s men are taking no prisoners and making the race very hard! Only 80 riders left in the peloton, some top 50-ish riders who have been dropped are Velits (51st), Helme (45th), Skujins (31st), Bellis (47th) and Toupalik (29th). The Czech tried to be in the attack as well today, but he’s just out of energy after a very active first half of this Vuelta. He will lose his jersey today, but has still scored some very welcome points for his team during the last ten days!
What’s happening now?! Reis is dropped, together with teammate Quita (30th) and Lammertink (26th)!
Slowly we’re seeing who could be winning today’s stage. Kennaugh grabs 16 KoM-points ahead of Elissonde, with six more riders being close. The other Kom-points go to Novak, Godoy, Kozhatayev, Anacona and Bouchard. Sequera also with them but not grabbing any KoM-points here at 64 km to the finish line. Novak the new virtual KoM-leader. A bit later Teuns, Arndt and Mas cross the summit. The riders behind them are probably too far behind to come back again, or at least recover enough to come back and win the stage.
After a big effort Reis makes it back to the peloton before the top of the mountain. The peloton 3’45” behind the head of the race again, but only 61 riders remaining in there. Jensen (9th) has just been dropped, and we see white jersey van der Poel (17th) and Daniel (18th) at the back of the peloton.
50 km to go as the riders start their ascent of the first HC mountain of the day; 11.9 km at 8.5%! 11 riders in the first group: Kennaugh, Elissonde, Novak, Godoy, Kozhatayev, Anacona, Bouchard, Sequera, Teuns, Arndt and Mas. Other riders are one minute or more behind, with a peloton of 59 riders at three minutes. van der Poel has been dropped, but red jersey Smit still holding on!
Last picture of Smit in red, as he’s dropped with 10 k to climb on la Collada de la Gallina! Seven domestiques get dropped with him, including four Gazelles. 49 riders left in the peloton!
The pace in the leading group is not very high though, as Rosch actually makes a comeback! Six other riders from the early breakaway are one minute behind, and the peloton an additional 40 seconds. Yates (20th) has been dropped now in the peloton. 6.5 km more on this climb, 44 km until the finish line!
Bongiorno makes it an even harder stage and uppens the pace in the peloton, that catches the six chasers. Another seventeen riders go overboard with still more than 5 km to climb! All domestiques though, with the highest placed being Reichenbach (44th), O'Connor (50th), Foliforov (33rd) and Prado (36th).
Still 4 km to climb for the twelve leaders, but three riders seem to be dropped: Godoy, Teuns and Rosch! Those three are one minute ahead of the peloton of 28, where the Bongiorno carnage is still going one with ten more riders being dropped, including Kolesnikov (25th), Smith (34th) and Canty (39th)! 28 riders left in the peloton now!
2 km to climb on la Collada de la Gallina as Godoy is back in the first group, but Teuns and Rosch haven’t come back. The peloton now only exists out of twenty more riders, as Bongiorno said goodbye to strong domestiques and early breakaway riders such as Harper (38th), Masnada (52nd), Vosekalns (146th), Kruijswijk (41st) and Gillett (23rd). That peloton of 20 is now at 1’15” of the race lead!
37.5 km to the finish line as Elissonde counters an attack of Bouchard and beats him for the KoM-sprint! Kozhatayev and Godoy also score decent points, but it’s Novak still in the lead!
1’20” later a Festina rider crosses the summit, but it’s not Bongiorno! It seems like his job is done, as leader Lecuisinier now leads what’s left of the peloton! Valls (21st) was the last victim of the Italian.
Time differences just after the top, only eleven riders are able to follow the Frenchman of Festina, with eight more being dropped! 36 km to the finish line!
Nothing too special happened in the descent. Elissonde has a small advantage over the remaining eight riders from the breakway, while the group of favourites (including who was dropped from the first group) is a bit more than 1’ behind. 22.5 km to go, as the riders have one mountain of second category to ascend before they start their final mountain of the day, which is hors catégorie!
1.5 km to climb on that mountain of second category when Elissonde attacks! The group of favourites is 1’15” behind and still being led by Lecuisinier now, with nobody really wanting to help him so far.
The KoM-points go to Arndt, Elissonde and Anacona. Godoy, Sequera, Kozhatayev and Bouchard are still able to follow the pace, but Novak and Mas are dropped at the head of the race! Lecuisinier still leading the group of favourites and crossing the summit 1’05” later, is he spilling his energy for nothing?
Novak makes it back to the head of the race in the descent though, which means the pace isn’t extraordinarily high! Anacona feels attacking is the best way to stay ahead and doesn’t wait until they start the final mountain of the day, the Cortals d’Encamp! 13 km to the finish line for the Latin American!
We are already going uphill, but haven’t officially started the HC climb yet! Formolo made the mistake of following early break rider Kennaugh in the descent, as the Brit left a gap over the others! The Italian now having to spend unnecessary energy with 12 km to go!
Just before that official start of the final climb, Arndt joins Anacona at the head of the race! Sequera tries to reach those two, while the other riders from the original breakaway have been caught by the group of favourites!
Tenorio took over from Lecuisinier, this group now trailing the head of the race by 1’10”! The Cortals d’Encamp is 9.6 km at 8.4%, that’s definitely not nothing! Novak attacks in an attempt to reach the head of the race again now!
8 km left to climb for our leading duo of Arndt and Anacona! They have a 1’ lead over the peloton led by Tenorio, as Novak and Sequera have been caught again. Formolo still trying to make his way back to that peloton, but that’s definitely easier said than done!
That’s painful! While Formolo can’t do it on his own, he gets passed by several riders who were dropped on the previous HC mountain! Goos (11th), Nesset (28th), Tvetcov (13th) and Warchol are back at the head of the race (well, the first chasing group at least), while Formolo only sees them getting smaller!
Riders 1-6 in the group of favourites are also riders 2-7 in the GC! Of course Smit has been dropped a long time ago. 7 km to go for the leading duo, with an advantage of 1’15”!
Lecuisinier has had his rest and takes over the commando! 5.5 km to the finish line as the Frenchman reduced the gap to the two leaders to 35”! Godoy (32nd), Goos (11th) and Nesset (28th) have been dropped again, while at the same time Brambilla (19th) makes a comeback and joins those three!
4 km to the finish line as Lecuisinier still leads the chase and reduces the gap another ten seconds, now 25” behind the leading duo! Nobody else has been dropped, so we still have sixteen chasers!
3.4 km to go and Lecuisinier catches the two leaders! Kritskiy believes his moment has come and immediately attacks! Bouchard (14th), Hirt (10th), Faglum Karlsson (24th) and Kozhatayev (46th) are dropped now!
Only four riders are able to follow Kritskiy as we enter the last 2.5 km! Those are Lecuisinier, Tenorio, Gesink and Reis!
Everybody looking at one another in the group behind, which makes Schelling attack! He looks ahead of him and sees how Reis is slowly letting go of the four riders ahead of him with 2 km left to climb!
1.5 km to go as Tenorio now decides the pace, which seems to be the nail in the coffin for other PCT rider Gesink! The three big GC favourites now together in a very exciting finale of today’s stage!
They enter the last km with a lead of 40” over Gesink and Reis, another 40” over Schelling and another 40” over the other favourites and mountain goats!
Last 500 metres! Who still has that little extra left in his legs?!
Lecuisinier launches his sprint with 300 metres to go!
He quickly builds up a small gap!
And he wins his second stage in this Vuelta! Red jersey is for today’s number two Tenorio though, with Kritskiy completing today’s stage podium as well as the GC podium!
1’45” later, Gesink and Reis complete the top-5.
Schelling loses 2’40” against the top-3.
Shikai (7th), Arndt (8th), Warchol (9th) and Haig (10th) complete the top-10 with Anacona, Tvetcov and Galta in the same group.
Brambilla makes a nice comeback to finish 14th at almost 4’30” ahead of other GC riders such as Hirt, Formolo and Faglum Karlsson.
Not every rider reaches the time limit today. We say goodbye to eight riders, including sprinters Markus and Merlier, as well as time trialist Ligthart.
