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“I had nothing to lose, so I gave it my all and went for the win,” said Adam Yates (Emirates Team UK, UAE), who ran the 58km alone. Here are comments from the players after the 9th day of the Vuelta, including O’Connor who defended Mayor Rojo and Kuss who lost time.

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Stage win & 7th overall & Maillot Montagna Adam Yates (UK, Emirates Team UAE)

I have never suffered so much before. It was very hot today. My legs gave out on the last climb and I doubted my victory. I didn’t know if I was going to win because I’ve been very lucky in Grand Tours in recent years. I’m very happy to finally win another Grand Tour stage.

Marc (Soler) and Jay (Vine) led the runaway group and guided me to the best position while maintaining a high speed. In the end, I was alone with Godu, who was suffering from the heat. I was in the same pain, but I thought this was it. From there to the finish line it was very difficult.

To be honest, I didn’t care about the overall ranking, I was only thinking about winning the stage. We had nothing to lose, so we tried our best to win.

It’s nice to be able to wear any special award jersey. There have been a lot of disappointing events in the last few days, so we wanted to win and boost confidence. This mountain championship jersey is a bonus for winning.

The temperature was up to 42 degrees, and although we were covered in water, the heat did not change at all. It was like taking a hot bath. The first week of this competition was a race for survival in 40 degrees. I checked the weather forecast for the area where grades 10 and 11 will be held and was relieved to find that the temperature was around 20 degrees.

3rd place on stage & Mayorrojo Ben O’Connor (Australia, Decathlon AG2R La Mondial)

I am proud of the performance we showed as a team today. We were able to control the time difference with the escape​​​​​​ and implement the strategy. Felix (Gal) also showed great traction in the final climb, making it a satisfying race.

Carapaz’s attack surprised me and it was a good move. The time when he jumped out at a difficult pace (even in a group). Everyone (top racers) had the platform yesterday, so they didn’t push themselves to the limit. You never know what will happen to your body in the heat if you do that.

-What do you think of Roglič’s performance?

The difference in elevation gained today was great, and all the mountains were steeper than 10%. I run under such conditions. It is not surprising that you feel uncomfortable in your body. And he won the stage yesterday. I guess there is no problem.

Stage position Primoš Roglič (Slovakia, Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe)

My legs didn’t feel good today and I also had pain in my lower back. I struggled on the last climb, but tomorrow will be my rest day.

David Godu (France, Groupama FDJ) ran away and finished 9th on the podium.

It’s not 100% yet, something is missing. However, he had the legs to enjoy a stage like today. I don’t think I would have finished in the same group if I had stayed with the main racers in general (not taking advantage of the escape). Not only did he not lose overall time, he was able to steal time from the riders behind the main group.

Sepp Kuss (USA, Visma-Liesabike) lost time after a delay on the final hill.

As expected, it was a very hard day. I started the race doubting my condition and I was able to reduce the damage (loss of time). On the last climb, I had no choice but to go at my own pace and I struggled with the descent and the wind as I prepared.

Today’s race started in very hot conditions, and by the middle of the race, none of the teams could control the pack. That’s why the players who ran away early were smart. It also seems that Carapaz took a risk and it paid off.

Wout van Aert at Maillot puntos (Belgium, Visma-Lies-A-Bijk) rides away

I ran away and joined the group hoping to be able to help Sepp (Kuss) in the last stage. However, I couldn’t fit into the group as much as I expected.

text: Sotaro.Arakawa
photo: CorVos

In the 9th stage of the Vuelta a España, which featured three first-class mountains in the second half, Adam Yates (UK, Emirates Team UAE) took a solo victory over 58km. While Kuss lost time, overall leader O’Connor increased his lead by four seconds by finishing third in the division.

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Sunday, August 25th Grade 9
Motril to Granada 178.5 kilometers (mountain)

The first week of the 79th Vuelta a España ends with a mountain stage that crosses three Class 1 mountains in the second half of the course. The athletes started in Motril, overlooking the Alboran Sea, and went north, going near the center of the city of Granada. Then we enter the mountainous region to the west.

We crossed the first Class 1 mountain, Puerto de El Pace (distance 8.9km / average 7.6%), which was placed at equal intervals, and then we reached Alto de Hazaranas, a Class 1 mountain with a gradient of a height of 20% (distance 7.1 km/ 2 around a course that is higher than 9.5% (average 9.5%) twice. The finish point is not at the top of the mountain, but at the end of a steep slope that stretches about 20km.In addition to the layout being suitable for running away, the next day was the first day of rest, so it was expected that there would be a general battle.

Joao Almeida (Portugal, Emirates Team UAE) did not race on this day due to infection with the new coronavirus. Almeida was delayed during the final climb the previous day, complained of feeling ill, and tested positive for coronavirus. This is the second time for Almeida, who was third overall at the start of the race in his home country of Portugal, to withdraw from a Grand Tour due to the coronavirus disease, after the 2022 Giro d’Italia.

The race, which took place in an area used by many athletes for high altitude training camps, started with an attack from Wout van Aert (Belgium, Wisma-Ries-A-Bijk) with Maillot Puntos (points award jersey). Marc Soler (Spain, Emirates Team UAE) and others followed suit, and after several attacks and captures, a large group of 26 people was formed.

David Goddu (France, Groupama FDJ), who is behind in the overall rankings, will be brought in, while the UAE, who lost the overall ace, will add Adam Yates (UK) and Jay Vine (Australia) on Soler. Cofidis also sent three members, including Jesús Herrada (Spain), but the main group was led by Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe, with Primoš Roglič (Slovakia) wearing the Maillot Montaña (mountain prize jersey).

In the first Class 1 hill of the day, Puerto de El Pace (distance 8.9km / average 7.6%), Soler and Vine set the pace for Yates. While van Aert and others were behind that speed, Richard Carapaz (Ecuador, EF Education Easy Post) attacked in the peloton, who started the climb 4 minutes late. Aiming to escape​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ and merge, we ran up the early part of the mountain with an average gradient of 10% in a light dance.

Godu first passed at the top of a Class 1 mountain and entered a steep downhill slope of about 10 km. Carapaz, who was running alone, was joined by Darren Rafferty, 21, (Ireland, EF Education Easy Post), who had fallen behind in the run, and they used team play to close the gap to the leaders. close Finally, we entered the mountain of the first level Alto de Hazaranas (distance 7.1km / average 9.5%), and after Soler finished his post, the group that had fallen behind was reduced to three members: Yates, Vine, and Goddu.

At the same time, in the peloton, Red Bull continued to reduce their numbers at high speed, with only Felix Gall (Austria) helping Ben O’Connor (Australia, Decathlon AG2R La Mondial).

Yates jumped out at the front with 4.4km to go, and took the lead alone with 58.4km to go. Yates passed Alto de Hazaranas in the lead for the first time, followed by Carapaz, who had passed Vine and Godu, and Pablo Castrillo (Spain, Equipo Cologne Farma), who had caught up after for him to run away. However, on the way down, Vine and Godu caught up with Carapaz, and four riders, including Vine, who was closer, passed Yates.

Yates turned the pedal smoothly and entered the first stage mountain Alto de Hazaranas for the second time, 2 and a half minutes behind the running group and 6 and a half minutes behind the peloton. Yates, who controlled his body temperature by dousing fans and himself with water, climbed easily and aimed for the top, which would give him a bonus time. The main group, where Florian Lipowitz (Germany, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) replaced Gall as paceman, was further reduced, with Sepp Kuss (USA, Wisma Liesabijk) dropping to – out

Enric Mas (Spain, Movistar) attacked from an elite group led by Gall, O’Connor, Roglič, Mikel Landa (Spain, T-Rex Quick-Step), and Carlos Rodriguez (Spain, Ineos Grenadiers). No one could pull him back, and Yates reached the top ahead of the race. He went through the technical descent with ease and jumped to the finish line to a loud cheer.

Yates took his first victory in the Vuelta in his fifth appearance. “It was very hot and I’ve never been in so much pain. On the last climb my leg went up and I thought I wasn’t going to win. I’ve have been very lucky in Grand Tours for the past few years, but I was able to finally win,” Yates said through tears. I was happy to play.

Although he lost the lead by 1 minute 39 seconds, Carapaz gained time and jumped up to 3rd place overall, taking 2nd place on the stage. In the sprint for third place in the division, O’Connor, who beat Landa, came first and added -4 seconds. He succeeded in extending the time difference with Roglič and others.

Also, Joshua Tarling (Great Britain, Ineos Grenadiers) retired after falling from a car, while Antonio Tiberi (Italy, Bahrain Victorious), wearing the Maillot Blanco (Young Rider Award jersey), suffered a headache caused by heat stroke. leaving the race.

After completing the first week of the Vuelta in the sweltering heat, the athletes will travel around 800km before heading to Vigo, a city in north-west Spain, for their first rest day.

The seventh stage of the Vuelta a España was shortened due to a second class mountain in the final stage. Wout van Aert (Belgium, Wisma-Lies-A-Bijk) took his second victory of the championship in the group sprint, thanks to good support from Sepp Kuss.

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Friday, August 23rd Grade 7
Alcidona ~ Cordoba 180.5km (hills)

The seventh stage of the Vuelta a España, which runs through the Andalusian desert, is a hilly plateau with only one second stage mountain in the final stage. Leaving Alcidona, we went on a flat road for 140km, then climbed up the hard mountain Alto del of the second level with a maximum gradient of 16% and 14% (distance 7.4km / average 5.6%) . After that, the race goes through several ups and downs, then a steep descent and then a flat road of about 12km towards the finish point.

The sprinters are expected to drop out in the mountain second stage, and most expect a group sprint including punchers. The stage, which left all the possibility of running away or running alone, was held in the intense heat of the day, with the athletes once again using water and ice to cool themselves. .

The race started very quietly, with a complete reversal from the previous day when Xavier Isaza (Spain, Euskaltel Euskadi) made a solo run. 22-year-old Isasa, who ran away in the third stage, extended his lead to a maximum of 9 minutes, while the leading group behind him was led by the Decathlon AG2R Ramondial management team, with Wisma Lies-Avaig and Alpecin Deceuninck also strong.

Yesterday’s winner is Ben O’Connor (Australia, Decathlon AG2R La Mondial) riding a bike with red logos on the front of the frame, pedals and wheels, worn by Mayorrojo. In addition to his first Grand Tour leader’s jersey, he was also the first Majorojo wearer for Decathlon, which was founded in 1992 and has a long history in the world of cycling. This memorial race for Decathlon went on at an average speed faster than the 5th stage, which was a sprint, and before 50km were left, the gap with the racer had decreased to 3 minutes.

Isasa, who is having a good time to showcase his time on the Grand Tour, which he won in his third year as a professional, passes the intermediate sprint set with 39.2km remaining. In the peloton, just 30 seconds behind, Kaden Groves (Australia, Alpecin Deceuninck) overtook Wout van Aert (Belgium, Wisma Ries-A-Bijk), wearing the Puntos Maillot (points award jersey), for second place. Groves closed the gap on Van Aert with two points, and soon after the pack swallowed up Isaza.

Heiss Reimreise (Netherlands, DSM Firmenich Post NL), who had finished 6th in the category after running away the day before, was delayed by a mechanical truck, but got bonus time up to -6 seconds on the second mountain class Alto del 14% (speed 7.4). Entering the second class mountain, Visma Edoardo Affini (Italy) sent out splitting rival sprinters. By the time the lead changed from Affini to Red Bull again, not only the sprinters but also athletes who were good at climbing, such as Jay Vine (Australia, Emirates Team UAE), were falling on last.

With 1.5km left to the summit and 27km to the finish, Aleksandr Vlasov (Russia, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) completed his task and Primoš Roglič (Slovakia) accelerated. That pace was followed by Richard Carapaz (Ecuador, EF Education Easy Post), Sepp Kuss (USA, Visma Riesabijk), and O’Connor, Van Aert pushing hard at the back of the pack. Then, once the slope became gentle and the pace of the group slowed, Lennart van Ietveldt (Belgium, Lotto Destiny) took advantage of the opportunity to make a move.

However, this did not have the decisive factor, and Roglič made a second attack after a blow. While Mayor Rojo’s O’Connor was behind, Roglič passed the front and got a bonus time (-6 seconds). Kuss (-4 seconds) passed in second place, and Carapaz (-2 seconds) passed in third place, taking it back from O’Connor.

As the running group fell behind on the climb, Kaden Groves (Australia, Alpecin Deceuninck) spun around and hit the rear wheel of the rider in front of him, causing him to fall. Van Aert, who had his biggest rival out, grabbed the lead group in an up and down division, and Kuss, who won last year, started to lead the way. With 21km remaining, Marc Soler (Spain, Emirates Team UAE) jumped out and took the lead on his own.

The race consisted of a group of about 20 runners after Sorel in the lead. Kuss continued with Decathlon, and Van Aert jumped out at 11km remaining after finishing the descent and entering a flat section. However, Van Aert stopped pushing and returned to the pack, and Kuss again showed a quick pull and caught Soler with 3.5km to go.

As Kuss finished his position and settled his legs, the group’s pace suddenly slowed. As a result, David Goddu (France, Groupama FDJ), Van Ietveldt, Pavel Sivakov (Russia, Emirates Team UAE) and others continued to attack. Vlasov, who had returned to lead the pack, caught a glimpse of Sivakov with 500 meters remaining, and the race became a general sprint.

Van Aert started his long sprint first, and the other non-sprinters couldn’t even keep up. As a result, Van Aert, wearing the Maillot Puntos, easily crossed the finish line and took his second victory in the championship.

Van Aert stood up to the high speed of the second stage mountain and took the sprint victory thanks to good support from Kuss. “I expected a group sprint with a larger number of people. I knew that the last mountain would be difficult, but I did not expect it to be so intense. Me and Sep (Kuss) joined the group at the top. , so it was difficult to get around.

Matias Vacek (Czech Republic, Riddle Trek), who was second in the individual TT on day one, came second in the category, while Pau Mikel (Ekipo Kernfarma), from Spain, came 3rd place Antonio Tiberi (Italy, Bahrain Victorious), who was unable to use his natural speed and finished 12th, received the maillot Blanco (Young Rider Award jersey).

On the fourth day of the Vuelta a España, we finished on a class 1 mountain with a maximum gradient of 20%. Primoš Roglič (Slovakia, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) got a comeback victory in the sprint of the small group, passing Mayorrojo.

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Tuesday, August 20th Grade 4
Placencia – Pico Villerucas 170.5km (mountain/mountain finish)

The 79th Vuelta a España has left its opening venue in Portugal and finally entered Spain. The fourth day of the competition was the first mountain stage of the competition, and we cleared the mountains in stages 2 and 1 early. After passing the 3rd class mountain in the second half of the race, the last 1st class mountain, Pico Viljerucas (distance 14.6km / average 6.2%) had a gentle slope of 3-4% average of 3 -4% for the first 10km, and from 5km before the finish, the slope was in double figures.

The highlight of the day was the performance of Primoš Roglič (Slovakia, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe), who finished the first day’s individual time trial in 8th place. Roglič suffered a hip fracture at the Tour de France in July, and has answered in daily interviews that he still has pain in his lower back. Roglič’s situation, which has been closely watched not only by his fans but also by his rivals, finally became clear during the last climb.

The mountain stage of the Vuelta has finally started, and from the start Joshua Tarling (Great Britain, Ineos Grenadiers) and Mauro Schmidt (Switzerland, Jayco AlUla) aim to escape. However, none of them succeeded, and after a fierce battle of attacks, a group of five, including the French TT champion Bruno Almirail (Decatron AG2R Ramondiale) and Filippo Zana (Italy, Jayco Aloura), escaped to form .

In the main group, Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe led the way, allowing a lead of up to three and a half minutes against the escape. Sylvain Moniquet (Belgium, Lot Destiny), who announced that he will be moving to Cofidis, got through first in the 2nd and 1st class hills set in the first half of the course. On this day, Euskaltel Euskadi Miquel Vizcarra (Spain) replaced Luis Maté (Spain), the top of the mountaineering ranking, to run away, so Monique got the right to wear the Maillot Montaña (alpine competition jersey).

In the scorching heat of over 40 degrees Celsius, the group ran into Class 3 mountains starting with 55km to go, with a difference of 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Then, 700m before the summit, Almirail attacked and increased the lead to three minutes. However, after that, the number of runners returned to five, and Almirail attacked again on the flat section leading up to the last hill.

Almirail switched to his preferred TT mode, and Pablo Castrillo (Spain, Equipo Köln Farma) was the only one to catch up. The Proton, still led by Red Bull, gradually reduced the time difference, and Castrillo passed first in the intermediate sprint with 15.4km remaining. In the main group, Kaden Groves (Australia, Alpecin Deceuninck), who had held his own until this point, beat Wout van Aert (Belgium, Wisma-Lies-A- Bijk) and reduced the difference in points for Maillot Puntos.

The athletes then set foot on the final Class 1 mountain, Pico Viluelcas (distance 14.6km / average 6.2%). After passing the first 10km, which was a gentle gradient of 3-4% on average, the difference between the Escape and the Proton was 14 seconds at the point where it entered the slope leg Speed ​​control changed from Red Bull to Team Emirates UAE, and front-runner Pavel Sivakov (Russia) jumped out and grabbed the breakaway.

Sivakov’s move was crushed by Aleksandr Vlasov (Russia, Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe), and Felix Gall (Austria, Decathlon AG2R Ramondial) slipped out of the narrow group. This time, Roglič caught himself, leaving Gall, Lennart van Ietveldt (Belgium, Lotto Destiny), and Enrik Mas (Spain, Movistar) in the lead. At the back, Adam Yates (UK, Emirates Team UAE) was behind, and Sepp Kuss (USA, Visma Liesabike) was unable to keep up with the pace of the leaders.

When Gall dropped out, the leaders were narrowed down to Roglič, van Ietveldt, and Mas. However, after going through a steep section, Joao Almeida (Portugal, Emirates Team UAE) and Matthew Ricchitello (USA, Israel Premier Tech) joined the lead on a gentle slope. Mikel Landa (Spain, T-Rex Quickstep) also joined the team with 300m remaining, making the race a seven-man sprint.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to both keep an eye on each other and slow down, Landa took the lead and began to sprint. 23-year-old Van Ietveldt accepted this, and Roglič was behind him. Van Ietveldt continued to struggle after catching Landa, but Roglič passed him just before the end.

It’s been about a month since the device crashed. Roglič, who got a surprise comeback win, said, “I’m happier with the team than myself with my lower back, but I knew I couldn’t get worse. Roglič, who was also first overall, made the familiar signal on the podium and passed Mayorrojo.

Kuss, who came close to winning the overall championship, finished 28 seconds behind in 11th place (13th overall), while Yates finished 1 minute 29 seconds behind in 26th place, dropping out from the entire race.