Vuelta a España (st. 16)
Alejandro remains 2nd in Vuelta -now 33" behind Yates (MTS)- after demanding time trial in Torrelavega; Quintana down to 4th overall - just 1'15" behind red jersey, with three mountain stages to go. Nelson Oliveira takes 7th in stage.
Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) completed a time trial on par with their abilities to remain fully in contention for the final victory in the 2018 Vuelta a España, just four days from its effective end in the Andorra mountains.
The 32km ITT from Santillana del Mar to Torrelavega -with plenty of little ascents, changing winds from the first to the second half and a final section uphill, in stark contrast with the demanding start- helped Steven Kruijswijk (TLJ, 4th) and Enric Mas (QST, 6th) climbing up the standings while ‘Bala’, 15th, conserve his second spot overall. The Spaniard gained some time in the beginning of the time trial with Simon Yates (MTS, 13th), a gap that was later turned upside down by the Briton into the hardest climbs, but almost equalled by Alejandro –just 7″ at the finish– with a very strong final kilometers.
In turn, Nairo Quintana (26th) lost 42″ with Yates, which takes the Colombian down to 4th in the GC, now behind Kruijswijk, yet just 1’15” behind the red jersey with three mountainous stages still remaining. There’s only 1’34” between the top six contenders in the eve of another grueling finale on Wednesday, atop the Balcón de Bizkaia (Cat-1), the finale including a very Euskadi-esque series of climbs: the softest part of the finishing climb (Cat-2), Santa Eufemia (Cat-3), Gontzaga (Cat-3) and the last 7km uphill, at a whooping 10% avg. gradient.
REACTIONS:
Alejandro Valverde: “Overall, I felt fine during today’s effort. To be honest, I was trying to clock a good early reference and went really strong. Then, halfway through the TT, where the headwinds were heavier, I struggled a bit more to find a good pace. However, I was able to gain some time back again into the last few kilometers, which means that I was able to finish strong. I think I did a good time trial – it was just that Yates, Mas and Kruijswijk were better.
“Me as only team leader? I don’t think that should be the case. You can say I’m closer to Yates than Nairo, but Nairo’s still there, and having the two of us up there, able to contest the red jersey, is something which should benefit the team as a whole much. I’m 38 years old, and if I have to switch my role to a top lieutenant one, I won’t hesitate. We’ll have to play our strategy well tomorrow. The finish in Balcón de Bizkaia is an explosive one, which suits Yates really well, not only me. It will be five against Yates, but he’s showing to be really strong in the race. In my case, it doesn’t matter what happens in the next few days: I’m really happy with what I’ve achieved in this Vuelta, and if I crack at any point, I’ll remain as happy.”
Nairo Quintana: “I think we defended ourselves well and rode at a decent pace, considering our characteristics. We already knew we were going to lose time, but I think we did fine. We’ll just have to carry on and try to make this gap up in the next few days. There’s three decisive mountain stages coming up now, Balcón de Bizkaia should be key. All the energy we squeezed out of our legs today could be a crucial factor on tomorrow’s developments. My legs continue to hurt, that’s normal – but we’ve got to continue fighting. The really good thing for us is that Valverde is still doing strong, and that’s important for the team. Having another chance for the GC is a double threat for our rivals and a double opportunity for our team.“
Picture (c): BettiniPhoto.net