North American cyclist Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) overcame the final challenge today without any surprises before being crowned winner of the Tour of Spain on Sunday, winning in the 20th and penultimate race at the sprint by the Dutchman Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious).
Even though it is pro forma, given the non-aggression pact declared by the director of the Jumbo-Visma team – the Dane Jonas Vingegaard remains at 17 seconds and the Slovenian Primoz Roglic at 1.08 minutes – Kuss will only now be able to relax deeply and enjoy from the dedication stage of the greatest achievement of his career.
In the breakaway that marked the day, Wout Poels took advantage of the final corner to attack early and surprise, as he gained an advantage that Belgian favorite Remco Evenepoel could not recover, even if only by a sliver.
The 207.8 kilometers between Manzanares El Real and Guadarrama, with 10 mountain counts of the third category, were completed by the first four in 04:59.29 hours, while the fifth, the Spaniard Marc Soler, has already reached four seconds and Rui Costa ( Intermaché- Circus-Wanty), sixth, lost 26 and left in this last part.
Further on João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) he was 33rd, at 10.25 minutes, as if announcing the trio that followed twelve seconds later, made up of the Jumbo-Visma men in which Vingegaard and Roglic flanked Kuss and embraced him in his expected coronation. “It was a very special moment to experience this with my two companions. I’m almost there,” Kuss said at the end.
The trio also symbolizes Jumbo-Visma’s historic achievement as they won the three biggest tours of the year, with Vingegaard triumphing in the Tour de France and Roglic in the Giro d’Italia, both with the help of the dedicated and resilient Kuss , who At the age of 29, his professionalism is rewarded, by decision of team director Richard Plugge.
It is also worth highlighting that no formation has placed three cyclists on the podium since 1966, something achieved by Kas-Kaskol at the time, when the sport was much less competitive.
Only one change in the top 10 of the Vuelta, with Aleksandr Vlasov dethroning Cian Uijtdebroeks in seventh place, both from BORA – hansgrohe, ahead of João Almeida who retained ninth place, 10.08 behind the leader.
With his performance, Rui Costa rose five places to 41st place, at 01:59.46. As for the other Portuguese, Nélson Oliveira (Movistar) was 85th, at 16.35 minutes, and dropped three positions, to 54th, at 02:20.10, André Carvalho (Cofidis) 117th, at 19.07, and gained one place, to 136th, at 04. :05.39, and Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) 147th, at 27.05, and continues in 148th and last place, at 04:33.21.
On Sunday, the inauguration stage will connect the Zarzuela racecourse with the Paisage de la Luz in Madrid, on a route of 101.5 kilometers.
Source: DN
