Roglic takes a nibble at Red Shirts' Mountain Spectacle
Ben O'Connor's advantage at the Vuelta is gradually decreasing. Primoz Roglic, the primary favorite, is making progress, with Florian Lipowitz of Germany providing essential assistance. Consequently, Lipowitz snatches the white jersey, symbolizing the best young rider. The journey to Madrid is still a considerable distance.
Roglic, a formidable Slovenian cyclist, failed to snatch back the red jersey at the tour's most challenging climb. He ended fifth in the Cuitu Negru's grueling mountain finish, barely making gains in the overall standings. Despite finishing first in the stage, O'Connor lost 38 seconds to Roglic while maintaining a 43-second lead. Pablo Castrillo of Equipo Kern Pharma celebrated his second stage win.
"It was an incredibly tough week, a difficult day today," admits Roglic. Despite this, he expressed satisfaction with the ending, even though his goal of taking the lead didn't materialize. O'Connor, content after protecting his lead in the general classification, shared, "I'm still in the lead, which is crucial. I'm taking it day by day."
Lipowitz regains the white jersey
During the final climb, which boasted a gradient of up to 23%, spanned 18.9 kilometers, and culminated at an altitude of 1835 meters, a trio of escapees determined the victor. Castrillo made his attack three kilometers before the finish line, leaving Pavel Sivakov from UAE Emirates and Alexander Wlassow from Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe behind. Wlassow almost caught up to Castrillo, who had claimed the first Spanish victory of this year's Vuelta on Thursday, but fell short.
Roglic launched a counterattack approximately two kilometers from the stage finish, with the aid of his young German teammate Florian Lipowitz. O'Connor, now without any support, managed to keep the distance. Lipowitz finished twelfth, enabling him to claim back the white jersey of the best young rider. Yet, Roglic didn't manage to close the gap anymore the following day. The win in Villablino went to Australian Kaden Groves, surpassing Belgian top performer Wout van Aert from the Team Visma Lease a Bike.
The Vuelta will take a two-day break on Monday before the subsequent crucial stage, which concludes with the renowned climb to Lagos de Covadonga. The tour concludes on September 8 in Madrid.
Roglic's German teammate, Lipowitz, regained the white jersey after a strong performance during the final climb, despite O'Connor managing to keep him at bay. Although Roglic launched a counterattack, he failed to close the gap further.
