It's one of the most dreadful clichés you can hear in the world of professional cycling but "the riders make the race" was proven to be absolutely accurate today when Jonas Vingegaard managed to turn the the race upside down on a innocent-looking, 5% climb. Valdezcaray was softer than all the mountain top finishes of this Vuelta so far but like they say, it's not the bullet that kills you, it's the speed.
It was supposed to be a day like all the other mountain stages of this Vuelta where a big breakaway contests the stage victory while nothing significant happens behind them, in the Red Jersey group. But this time, the only five escapers of the day were reeled in by the peloton exactly at the foot of the final climb thanks to Lidl-Trek and Q36.5 who trusted their leaders in a hypothetical group sprint for the win. After just 2 kilometers of climbing though, Matteo Jorgenson put in a devastating acceleration with Vingegaard in his wheel, which caught both commentators and riders by surprise. The protagonists told the media after the finish that Jonas came up with the idea just a few moments before and because it didn't seem like a carefully-planned attack at all, I tend to believe them. Giulio Ciccone was the only one able to follow the brutal surge of the Dane but after 2 minutes on the wheel, the supersonic pace was too much for the Italian who burned his wings for the rest of the climb. Once again, it was Joao Almeida who proved to be Vingegaard's strongest rival but this time he couldn't catch up to him, the famous "Ameidada" did not happen. The Portuguese was angry at the surprising Tom Pidcock for not pulling hard enough but the Olympic MTB champion seemed gassed and he also had the excuse that he's not here to win La Vuelta. While they gained back some time in the last kilometer, they finished 24 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard who executed his first coup of this Vuelta and took his 2nd stage victory. He also totally obliterated the climbing record by more than 4 minutes, riding the 13.4 km of Valdezcaray in a bit less than 26 minutes at a mind-blowing average speed of 31 km/h.. The difference is so shocking mostly because both in 1988 and in 2012, there were no attacks by the GC riders while this time the world's 2nd best climber launched himself from the first kilometers of the ascent and kept pushing full gas until the top. Based on the speed he rode the steep section, Jonas is not far from his best level but we'll have more accurate information on the day of Angliru.
Jonas Vingegaard didn't detonate only the Vuelta today but also the UAE Team whose image took a bit hit on the slopes of Valdezcaray. Joao Almeida who is usually very diplomatic in his interviews when it comes to team tactics, straight-up denounced the lack of team support in the post-race interview. The main target was of course Juan Ayuso who let himself slip out the peloton even before the final climb began without visibly putting any effort. Whatever he continues his career at UAE or not, this will be a stain on his image for a long time, bigger than the Col du Galibier fiasco.. While all the teams want a rider gifted with his physical abilities, nobody wants a prima-donna who refuses to help his teammates when they need it. The wearer of the KOM jersey, Jay Vine, did a major pull for his leader, but you get the feeling that he could have gone for much longer if he hadn't spent so much energy in two previous breakaways. As long as you have a team leader who still has a chance to win La Vuelta, it's a betrayal to not fully trust him especially after two of his supposed-to-be lieutenants already won a stage. While I previously said that Visma fears UAE due to how strong they ride individually, the way they ride as a team, Jonas Vingegaard doesn't have anything to fear.
Course Details: 13,4 km at 5,2% average gradient
25:54 - Jonas Vingegaard (31.04 km/h)
30:20 - Garcia, Roche (26.51 km/h)
30:30 - Kelly, 25-rider peloton (26.36 km/h)
