Tadej Pogacar won the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol with force majeure on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Slovenian also took the lead in the ranking of the five-day stage race through Andalusia.
At 13 kilometers from the finish, Pogacar attacked. Only the Colombian Santiago Buitrago could keep the wheel of the winner of the 2020 and 2021 Tour de France, but in the end he still had to let go.
Spain’s Mikel Landa of Bahrain Victorious came second at 38 seconds on the 179km course from Puente de Génave to Santiago de la Espada, just ahead of his compatriot Carlos Rodríguez of INEOS Grenadiers.
The 24-year-old Pogacar started his season more than convincingly on Monday. The Slovenian was by far the best in the Spanish clay court Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior. The UAE Team Emirates leader recently suffered from an intestinal infection, but seems to have fully recovered.
Sjoerd Bax is the only Dutchman in the Ruta del Sol. The 27-year-old South Hollander makes his debut for the Pogacar team in the Spanish race. Bax exchanged Alpecin-Deceuninck for UAE Team Emirates this winter.
The Ruta del Sol continues on Thursday with a hill stage. The altimeters also increase considerably in the following three stages. Last year, Wout Poels won the Spanish stage race. He’s not here now.
Unfortunately, this content cannot be displayedWe do not have permission for the necessary cookies. Accept the cookies to view this content.
