Cycling: Marc Soler won the 16th stage of the Vuelta a Espana, which was rained on during the final climb. The Spaniard from the UAE Team Emirates was repeatedly distanced by his companions, but fought back again and again and finally won. In the battle for the red jersey, Ben O'Connor and Primoz Roglic are now separated by just five seconds.
Marc Soler fights his way to stage victory
Is it acting or simply pure fighting spirit? Marc Soler (UAE) won the 16th stage, a 181,5-kilometer ride from Luanco to Lagos de Covadonga. The Spaniard was dropped several times, and his body language suggested he couldn't ride another meter. Ultimately, however, he kept catching up and attacking again until he finally shook off his last remaining companions. Around five minutes later, the favorites crossed the finish line. There, Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) failed to take the red jersey from Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Now, only five seconds separate the Slovenian and the Australian. Meanwhile, teammate Florian Lipowitz (Bora-Hansgrohe) lost the white jersey as best young rider.
Van Aert crashes and has to abandon the Vuelta
A total of 17 riders launched an attack after about an hour of racing today, forming a strong breakaway group. After Wout van Aert (Visma – Lease a Bike) secured some more points for his King of the Mountains jersey, he crashed on a descent with approximately 50 kilometers to go. Two of his companions, German Felix Engelhardt (Jayco – AlUla) and Mexican Isaac del Toro (UAE), also slid out on the left-hand bend and crashed into a rock face. While they were able to continue, Wout van Aert was forced to abandon the race. This means the leader in the King of the Mountains and Points classifications, as well as four-time stage winner of the 2024 Vuelta a España, is out of contention. Kaden Groves (Alpecin – Deceuninck) takes over the Points classification, and Jay Vine (UAE) takes the King of the Mountains title.
Mas attacks early
Enric Mas (Movistar) made his move on the Collada Llomena , launching his first attack. He had previously allowed his team to set the pace, thus negating the element of surprise. All the strong general classification contenders were able to follow without difficulty, but lost some of their teammates in the process. The gap to the breakaway group plummeted from over ten minutes to under seven, but the favorites were unable to contest the stage win. After a long battle up to the Lagos de Covadonga, Marc Soler (UAE) took the victory. The Spaniard overcame his last remaining companions, Max Poole (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla), on the rain-soaked final climb , despite having been dropped several times himself.
O'Connor defends his red jersey
Mikel Landa (Soudal – Quick-Step) was the first rider from the favorites group to launch an attack on the final climb . The Spaniard managed to build a lead of a few seconds. However, when his compatriot Enric Mas (Movistar) increased the pace on the steepest section of the climb, the gap was quickly closed. Race leader Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) also fell victim to this acceleration. Since Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) stayed with the peloton, he and Soler were able to extend their lead further. However, it would ultimately be just enough to secure the red jersey.
What Victoria!
“Qué magicia go LAGOS DE COVADONGA!”The niebla was seen by Marc Soler ( @solermarc93 ) for the victory of Victoria, who was always there for the rest of the year #LaVuelta24 #VueltaRTVE3s
Para quitarse el sombrero https://t.co/oz2HSTHcCI pic.twitter.com/csdvJKI9Oe
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) September 3, 2024