Cycling: Jonas Van Genechten (IAM) surprisingly won the 7th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. In an exciting cat-and-mouse game, the field was able to catch the escapees a few hundred meters before the finish line. Then the Belgian prevailed in front of Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in a slight uphill sprint. Bad luck once again for Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), who fell in the last corner.
Hilly terrain creates many conflicts of interest
Today's 7th stage from Maceda to Puebla de Sanabria took the remaining riders over 158,5 km. Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky), Rein Taaramäe (Katusha) and Niccolò Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo) dropped out during the race. The profile again promised a chase between the peloton and the breakaways, because three mountains of the third category and an otherwise wavy profile exclude both the class riders as winners and the pure sprinters. But since there are no pure sprinters at the start of the Vuelta anyway, it was clear from the start that the hill-proof, fast men would see their chance again today. Nevertheless, Victor Campenaerts (LottoNL-Jumbo), Johan Le Bon (FDJ), Sander Armee (Lotto Soudal), Davide Villella (Cannondale), Vegard Laengen (IAM) and Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) pulled away. But they never got that far, because the teams Giant-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo really wanted to force a mass sprint.
Van Genechten is the surprise winner - Contador falls again
When the wind got a little stronger, Team Astana suddenly took the lead in the field. As a result, a number of drivers had problems: Samy Sanchez (BMC), Igor Anton, Omar Fraile (both Dimension Data) and Enrico Battaglin (LottoNL) were temporarily unable to keep up with the pace. It also happened to the breakaway group faster than expected. A new leading group formed with Simon Clarke (Cannondale), Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-Quick Step), Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis), Luis Leon Sanchez and Dario Cataldo (both Astana), behind which another group of pursuers formed. Meanwhile, in the peloton, the Tem Movistar controlled the pace. Shortly before the finish, Sanchez and Clarke broke away while the rest was swallowed up by the peloton. For a long time it looked like the two would pull through, but in the last 200 meters they were finally caught by Tinkoff's pace work. But the Russian team was not rewarded for their work as Daniele Bennati finished second behind stage winner Jonas Van Genechten (IAM) and Alberto Contador fell again. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was third ahead of Philippe Gilbert (BMC).
Vuelta a Espana Stage #7 – The daily standings:
Tour Locations | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Jonas Van Genechten | Belgium | I AM | 3:55:44 |
2. | Daniele bennati | Italy | Tinkoff | + 0: 00 |
3. | Alejandro Valverde | Spain | Movistar | + 0: 00 |
4. | Philip Gilbert | Belgium | BMC | + 0: 00 |
5. | Kevin Reza | France | FDJ | + 0: 00 |
6. | Gediminas Bagdonas | Lithuania | Ag2r | + 0: 00 |
7. | Gianni Meersman | Belgium | Etixx Quick Step | + 0: 00 |
8. | Kristian Sbaragli | Italy | Dimension Data | + 0: 00 |
9. | Romaine Hardy | France | Cofidis | + 0: 00 |
10. | Tosh Van der Sande | Belgium | Lotto Soudal | + 0: 00 |
Vuelta a Espana Stage #7 – Overall standings:
Tour Locations | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Darwin Atapuma | Colombia | BMC | 25:41:21 |
2. | Alejandro Valverde | Spain | Movistar | + 0: 08 |
3. | Chris Froome | Great Britain | Sky | + 0: 42 |
4. | Nairo Quintana | Colombia | Movistar | + 0: 48 |
5. | Stephen Chaves | Colombia | Orica Bike Exchange | + 0: 48 |
6. | Leopold Koenig | Czechia | Sky | + 1: 09 |
7. | Simon yates | Great Britain | Orica Bike Exchange | + 1: 32 |
8. | Gianluca Brambilla | Italy | Etixx Quick Step | + 1: 38 |
9. | Daniel Moreno | Spain | Movistar | + 1: 38 |
10. | David De La Cruz | Spain | Etixx Quick Step | + 2: 11 |
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