Today’s stage is similar to yesterday. The stage itself is not too hard, but the finish is on a mountain of first category. Lecuisinier didn’t manage to gain some seconds on red jersey Tenorio yesterday, and with a 40 km TT still to go as well, the Frenchman’s opportunities are slowly running out. Today and tomorrow seem to be the stages where taking time is the most likely looking at the road book of the last week, so he shouldn’t wait too long anymore! Just like yesterday and many days before, there’s a good chance the winner will come from the breakaway.
From the start, there are many attacks. A group of 25 joins forces and forms the break of the day. The names are Lane, Warchol (15th), Ludvigsson, Prado, Egger, Kruijswijk, Teuns, Kasperkiewicz, Godoy (18th and leader U25), Kennaugh (5th KoM), Affonso, Faglum Karlsson (19th), Smith, Rosch, Koshevoy, Campero, Salinas, Sequera (6th KoM), Helme, Serrano, Gillett, Novak (leader KoM and 2nd U25), Badilatti, Velits and Vosekalns.
The leaders pass the first intermediate sprint with 125 km to go. Hayakawa has been doing all the work in the peloton, which is trailing by 2’30”.
As there are 80 km to the finish line, the leaders pass the second and last intermediate sprint. They lead by 3’, as Rakuten is still doing all the work in the peloton. Shikai must be scared of losing places. Lecuisinier’s troops not helping, even though winning the stage could of course bring him closer to the red jersey.
Prado attacks with 1.5 km to climb on the first KoM-categorized mountain of the day (2nd cat.), mountain leader Novak now in fourth position, behind him are Kennaugh and Sequera.
It’s Kruijswijk taking six points, ahead of Lane and Kennaugh! Eight leaders have been dropped, those are Ludvigsson, Egger, Affonso, Serrano, Kasperkiewicz, Vosekalns, Rosch and Koshevoy. 59 km to go for the leaders. The peloton at 4’20”.
21 leaders start the ascent of the Alto de Cabrales (3rd cat.), as Kasperkiewicz, Vosekalns, Rosch and Koshevoy have made it back while the other four have been caught by the peloton. That peloton is now at 3’30”, and Aker – MOT started helping the Rakuten boys in the chase.
Interesting development, as Festina – OAKA takes over in the peloton! It has an immediate effect, as Reis (6th) gets distanced for the third stage in a row! The two earlier stages he managed to come back and finish quite good, but today could be the day he finally cracks, as there are still 32 km to the finish line!
Kruijswijk seems to be feeling good, as he grabs another six KoM-points, ahead of Kennaugh and Faglum Karlsson! Teuns close to being dropped now, while the peloton follows at 3’10” as Aker – MOT and Rakuten Pro Cycling are setting the pace again. Reis and his domestiques an additional two minutes behind!
13 km to go for the leaders, as they start the last climb of the day, which has an average gradient of 8% but goes well above 10% in the last kilometres! The peloton is 2’30” behind and led by the same three teams that have been doing the work today. Twenty riders in the first group by the way, as early breakaway rider Teuns has been caught by the peloton, to then be immediately spit out and join Reis who is still 2’ behind the head of the peloton!
Kruijswijk has been feeling good all day and attacks at the foot of the final climb! Gillett decides to join him, and so does white jersey Godoy! 12 km to the finish line as the 17 chasers are 30” behind, the peloton an additional 1’50”.
The three leaders still have a 35” gap entering the last 10 km! Kasperkiewicz is out of contention for the stage win, while Badilatti and Vosekalns seem to be struggling as well in the chasing group! The peloton has slowed down though, they are now trailing the three leaders by 3’30” again!
Faglum Karlsson does the work to bring the three leaders back, but just as he makes contact with him, Godoy attacks again! Kruijswijk and Gillett can still follow him, and Campero tries to make it four at the front with 9 km to climb!
but Campero seems to be unable to close the gap. More and more riders are falling behind in the first chasing group, the ones who will probably be in the peloton again soon are Rosch, Sequera and Koshevoy.
Aha! Time for some more Bongiorno carnage?! He reduces the gap to the three leaders to 3’ with 8 km to climb for Godoy and co, while the peloton is being thinned out quickly now! Bouchard (16th) seems to be in trouble, while Reis is almost 4’ behind the peloton now!
How good is Kruijswijk though?! He finds energy for another attack and now even has a gap over Godoy! 7 km to go as its Kruijswijk – Godoy (21”) – Gillett (27”) – Campero (33”) – Faglum Karlsson, Smith, Kennaugh, Salinas, Novak, Helme, Warchol, Prado, Velits, Lane (1’) – the peloton (3’30”).
Hirt decides it’s still going too slow and attacks! Yesterday it didn’t turn out to be the best decision, but we still love to see some aggressive racing! Tenorio in second followed by Goos, while Lecuisinier follows in fourth!
Kruijswijk still in the lead with 6 km to the finish line! 20” ahead of the South American duo of Campero and Godoy, while Gillett seems to have hit the wall and is being blown back to the ten chasers who are now at 1’15”!
The peloton has been reduced to 50 riders after the attack of Hirt. He is still at 3’30” though, with Lecuisinier in second now. Red jersey Tenorio has been dropped to the 8th position in the peloton: a sign of weakness or simply controlling the situation? Good news for Bouchard and the other top-20 riders minus Reis though, as they all seem to be holding on so far!
The chasing duo are still 20” behind Kruijswijk as he enters the last 5 km! The riders will now have a doable couple of kilometres, but as mentioned before the finish will be well over 10%! The eleven chasers now diving under the minute again, can they come back in time, while also holding off the peloton?
Hirt is still a couple of metres ahead of the peloton, but now actually losing terrain against the head of the race and at 3’45”! It’s still fast enough to see the peloton reduced to fourty riders though, but still with the most important names up front. The first three riders in the peloton are now actually the big three: Lecuisinier, Tenorio and Kritskiy!
Kruijswijk still has a 20” gap over the first two chasers, but as he enters the last 4 km the other eight chasers are coming closer quickly and now at 40”! I say eight, as Gillett, Helme and Lane have been dropped. So the eight riders who are close to catching Campero and Godoy are Smith, Faglum Karlsson, Salinas, Warchol, Novak, Velits, Kennaugh and Prado!
The peloton of 43 riders now at 4’! Is Lecuisinier hoping to make up a lot of time tomorrow, or does he have a plan for today’s heavy finish as well?
A Dutch fan holding the flag wrong is in the way of Kruijswijk, who enters the murdering finale with 3 km to go! Only 20” behind now is the group of ten chasers, led by Smith. Velits was hoping for an extraordinary win on his old day, but gets dropped!
Meanwhile there is some movement in the peloton! Goos, Hirt, Tvetcov and Formolo try to win some time, while Haig goes in the counterattack! The big three looking at each other!
2.5 km to go and it’s game over for Kruijswijk! Other attacker Godoy quickly losing touch with the first group of 9 riders now!
Meanwhile the peloton is being reduced to 20/25-ish riders! Shikai (14th) and Bouchard (16th) the most important names in trouble! Goos, Hirt, Tvetcov and Formolo still have an advantage, while Haig is back with the other favourites!
2 km to go and Novak and Kruijswijk being dropped as well in the first group, which leaves us with seven leaders! Goos, Hirt, Tvetcov and Formolo are 1’40” behind, but as you can see Lecuisinier is now dancing on the pedals as well! Red jersey Tenorio knows it’s now or never and tries to keep up! Brambilla (11th), Arndt (17th) and Kirsch (20th) are the most important names who can’t keep up with the group behind the big three anymore!
1.5 km to go for the leaders as Schelling (7th) and also Tvetcov now seem to be struggling with the high pace from the group of favourites!
And the reason for that high pace is called Lecuisinier! The Frenchman is not holding back anymore and is coming closer to the first group quickl (1’30” now)! Tenorio is no longer in his wheel, is this the moment for the Frenchman?!
A lot of big names now going overboard, as Haig (5th), Galta (10th) and Hirt (9th) are dropped with 1.5 km to go!
Lecuisinier has absolutely no chill anymore and is only 30” behind the first seven who are now entering the last km! The Frenchman has a 20” lead over red jersey Tenorio, Gesink, Kritskiy, Formolo and Goos!
Lecuisinier now in the lead with 700 metres to go! Kritskiy is trying to close the gap as Gesink follows him but Tenorio and Formolo seem to be having a very hard time holding on! Goos dropped now, not a surprise of course.
Is this it? Is this the moment where Lecuisinier wins the Vuelta?! Tenorio and Formolo have to leave a gap over Kritskiy and Gesink while Lecuisinier enters the last 500 metres!
Lecuisinier starts sprinting with 300 metres to go! Prado and Smith are behind him, but this shouldn’t even be close!
And that’s what Lecuisinier thinks as well! He starts cheering with 50 metres to go, but Prado seems to still have that little extra! Who wins?!
Oh, the embarrassment! Prado overtakes him, wins the stage and snoops away eight valuable seconds from the Frenchman! Smith finishing third is a minor piece of good news for King Power as their leader has been wiped away today!
Faglum Karlsson holds off Kritskiy for fourth 20” later, while Salinas finishes sixth!
Warchol does a good job in the GC by finishing 7th at 45” from winner Prado, while Gesink is right behind him. Campero and Kennaugh complete the top-10 of today’s stage.
Tenorio is 11th at 1’15” and loses his red jersey, while Formolo and Goos are the next GC riders to come in. The next two stages will most likely decide the winner of the Vuelta 2020, with a hard mountain stage tomorrow and a 40 km TT the day after!
