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Liepins in the 63rd place in the “Vuelta a Espana” stage

Emils Liepins | Photo: facebook.com/emils.liepins.1

Latvian cyclist Emils Liepins (“Trek-Segafredo”) on Thursday in the third stage of the multi-day cycling trip “Vuelta a Espana” ranked 63rd, but the winner was crowned Irishman Denje Martin.

In the third stage of the competition, cyclists measured a distance of 166.1 kilometers, which included one third and one first category ascent.

The victory was won by Latvian Krista Neiland’s teammate Irish Martins (“Israel Start-Up Nation”), who took the lead 200 meters before the finish and was able to keep the lead.

He was followed by Slovenian Primožs Rogličs (“Jumbo-Visma”) at the distance of the half-wheel, but also by the leader Ecuadorian Richard Karapass (“Ineos Grenadiers”).

Latvian cyclist Liepiņš lost seven minutes and three seconds to the winner, ranking in the 63rd position, which is the highest achievement of a Latvian in the Spanish tour so far. Liepiņš made his debut “Vuelta a Espana” this year.

About 5.5 kilometers to the finish, a 50-passenger peleton had formed, preceded by Ineos Grenadiers representative Chris Frumo from Great Britain. The titled cyclist acted as a tractor at this stage and promoted his teammate to third place.

A moment later, the fourth-place finisher from Colombia, Esteban Chavez (Mitchelton-Scott), was hit by technical problems, but Alehandro Valverdi (Movistar) was just over two kilometers before the finish. In the last kilometer, several riders tried to intensify the fight for victory, but a safe shot was prevented by a mountain almost nine kilometers long.

Rogličs leads the overall standings, but Martin and Karapas have five and 13 seconds left, respectively. Liepiņš loses 43 minutes and 28 seconds to the leader, which allows him to take the 119th place. After Thursday’s start, the Latvian cyclist increased by 24 positions in the overall standings.

It has already been reported that French cyclist Tibo Pino is not continuing his prestigious Vuelta a Espana bike ride due to back pain.

On Friday, athletes face a distance of 191.7 kilometers, which does not include climbs.

The Spanish tour will finish on November 8 in Madrid. The first six days of the race will overlap with this year’s Giro d’Italia.

This year, the first three stages of Vuelta a Espana were planned in the Netherlands, but due to a national pandemic, the prestigious cycling race was refused. As a result, Vuelta a Espana will have only 18 stages this year, not 21.

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