Featured image courtesy of AFP/gettyimages
One week down, two weeks to go at the final grand tour of the season. Many Vuelta editions of yesteryear have produced nail biting finales in the third week, the Chris Froome versus Alberto Contador and Chris Froome versus Nairo Quintana battles do spring to mind. This Vuelta may not be as tantalising but after week one, the GC gaps are starting to reveal themselves.
Being fair to the race organisers, the combination of an opening Burgos time trial, three difficult finishes plus four opportunities to the sprinters, this Vuelta has seen a collective mix of scenarios. Echelons have formed on the flat, the route has stayed close to the Mediterranean and Stage 9’s summit to the Alto de Velefique can be seen as the real moment when the red jersey hopefuls emerged and faded.
It is always known that the Vuelta is the perfect chance to salvage a season, or maybe cement your place as an all-time cycling great. The big question for every rider who takes on the Tour of Spain has always been – are you fresh after riding the Tour de France? If you’ve skipped the Tour to ride the Giro d’Italia instead, you’d imagine the Italian grand tour attendees would be more capable.
Another factor to consider after just one week’s worth of racing is a delayed Tokyo Olympics. Last year’s reduced parcours at the Vuelta saw both Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz go head-to-head for red – Roglič holding on despite some fatigue to claim a second Vuelta title. Carapaz himself did everything he could to wrestle red away from the Slovenian, the INEOS rider found himself in red for a time last year. Tiredness is understandable after a condensed cycling calendar last year, but factor in the travelling and the efforts you’ve made at an Olympics in 2021, for some it has taken a lot more out of them than we probably expected.
In the road race and time trial both Richard Carapaz and Primož Roglič claimed the gold medals in Tokyo, Carapaz on the back of third overall at the Tour, while Roglič with big hopes abandoned the Tour after a crash on Stage 3. Roglič has looked the fresher after leaving the Tour early, the Stage 1 TT in Burgos as always right up his street. A solid time trialist, who looks to carry on where he left of and win the Vuelta a third time in succession.
The red jersey has changed hands during this week, Roglič conceding the jersey to Stage 3 winner atop the Picón Blanco Rein Taaramäe. The Estonian then crashed twice in two days to sadly lose red to Kenny Elissonde, the Frenchman only keeping the jersey one day. Giving away the leader’s jersey during week one is never a bad thing to do. You think of all the post-race interviews you’ve got to do, getting back to the team hotel late before the next stage – wearing a normal Jumbo-Visma jersey before stamping on the pedals is always the right approach. The thing with Roglič is the time trial, a master against the clock, stage victory never in doubt.
Jumbo-Visma have approached this Vuelta with no pressure, they look relaxed and the Slovenian looks set to still be the man to beat. The same cannot be said of Richard Carapaz. The Olympic Road Race champion has struggled wearing his gold helmet. As early as the first summit finish, last year’s runner-up to Roglič has clearly been unable to match last year’s GC performance or better. Red looks out of the question, a top ten on GC beyond him too, but for the moment the INEOS Grenadiers will still need his services.
After a Tour de France that didn’t go to plan, a third-placed overall for Carapaz was crumbs for comfort. To make matters worse for Dave Brailsford and co, Giro d’Italia champion Egan Bernal and Britain’s Adam Yates fell away on the Velefique, Yates the more frustrated after a decent time trial before crashing on Stage 2. A chunk of time lost, Yates is playing catch-up while Egan Bernal has shown no signs of stamping his authority on the race. Both are still inside the top-ten on GC but are not near the level required.
Alto de Velefique on Stage 9 has really opened the gaps going into the first rest day. Primož Roglič at first looked as if he’d cracked, but composure and a calm head means vintage Roglič. Out of the saddle, attacking the race and leaving everyone else for dead, except Enric Mas. To be fair to Mas and his Movistar team, despite numerous jokes about how plans for their non-stop three-man GC challenge always take a turn for the worst, the Spanish ‘home’ team of this Vuelta do get it right…sometimes. It was a disappointing so see former world champion Alejandro Valverde sadly crash out on Stage 7. A bitter blow for the 41-year-old Spaniard, who despite his past controversies, has always given everything to finish on Vuelta podiums before. He’s a former winner of his home grand tour, to leave when his racing days are slowly falling behind him is a sight you wouldn’t wish on anyone.
What praise do Movistar deserve? Enric Mas and Miguel Ángel López are now second and third respectively with López doing some key turns on the front on the Velefique. Both are still around to try their best, Movistar hoping that Mas might turn it up a notch in weeks two or three. Since his second place back in 2018, Spain got excited and may just get a little more excited to see what Enric Mas can do at this Vuelta.
Elsewhere, Aleksandr Vlasov hasn’t looked fresh after finishing fourth at the Giro, the Russian climber can be a threat on GC when he’s on form but it hasn’t been his Vuelta. A difficult thing to see though has been the loss of Hugh Carthy. The Lancastrian finished third last year, determined to try again in 2021. A respectable ninth overall at last May’s Giro might have looked slightly disappointing, but to go again in Spain would’ve been the aim. To struggle very early at this Vuelta and then abandon after Stage 7 is sad. What next? The Autumn Classics in Italy might be a possibility.
Mikel Landa at Bahrain-Victorious has also been quiet and on Stage 9 he went backwards. You’d expect the Basque climber, on the back of his awful Giro crash, to probably do better in weeks two and three, but stage wins are now his only chance to salvage something. Bahrain won’t be too despondent though as stage winner atop the Velefique went to Damiano Caruso (below), who after his surprising second overall at the Giro, continues to keep the young guns at bay! One of the greatest years in Caruso’s career and Australian Jack Haig they have another key man who will have a say in the GC fight. Haig, just like Landa at the Giro, crashed out at the Tour. A bounce back? Jack Haig is performing well as a dark horse.
GC contenders considered, as well as those who have sadly left the race, what is missing from this Vuelta? You could argue that the absence of two-times Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar has made this Vuelta lacklustre but perhaps that is harsh on the riders trying to claim red. Pogačar was so dominant in yellow, would we really want him to dominate again in red? We’ll never know the outcome, but for sure the Slovenian will win a Vuelta in the future.
Right now, the Pogačar era at the Tour is underway, why would he skip the chance to win a third and maybe fourth yellow jersey? A Giro or a Vuelta are all in his sights, but at the moment pink and red are second choice. No Pogačar at this Vuelta has in many ways been a blessing. A more open race, interesting and hard to call, we already have another Slovenian who is dominating the final grand tour of the year. Primož Roglič is two-times defending champion, he is still the man where it’s up to the others to dethrone him. It offers a chance for the likes of Mas, López, Haig, Bernal and Yates to do catch-up.
Across this first week we’ve also seen spectacular glory for breakaways. Caruso’s Stage 9 success captures his own mood for 2021, but credit must go to Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, who don’t get many stages at grand tours, Taco van der Hoorn’s glorious solo win at the Giro did set a standard. Rein Taaramäe’s Stage 3 victory to go into red will have done the team a whole lot of good. For the team to hold the race leader’s jersey even if just for two days is bigger than winning the race overall. Teams on small budgets are grateful for their chance, Taaramäe as a former grand tour stage winner at the Giro and Vuelta ten years ago, certainly took his chance.
Team DSM haven’t had the best season but Michael Storer’s victory atop the Balcon de Alicante on Stage 7 has made up for past disappointment. EF Education Nippo will go home with at least a stage in the pocket too. While Hugh Carthy’s ambitions have come to an end, the American team will be pumping the air after Magnus Cort managed to hold off a pursuing Roglič and co on Stage 6’s uphill drag to Cullera.
To round off the week one reflections, a word must go for the early Christmas presents the sprinters are unwrapping at this Vuelta. Four flat days on Stages 2, 4, 5 and 8 has seen both Jasper Philipsen and Fabio Jakobsen claim two sprints apiece. For Philipsen it’s a huge result on the back of helping fellow Belgian Tim Merlier to victory at the Tour. Alpecin-Fenix can consider 2021 a successful one, making their grand tour debut in Italy, France and Spain – delivering a stage win at all three!
Jasper Philipsen has won a stage at the Vuelta before, as has Quick Step’s Fabio Jakobsen. The Dutchman is back after his horror crash in Poland last year. That’s now four career wins at the Vuelta, with many more to come. For cycling fans all over the world, the number one feeling will be one of joy for a rider who has his smile back!
Groupama-FDJ have arrived with all the firepower to aid Arnaud Démare but haven’t delivered, TeamBike Exchange’s Michael Matthews hasn’t just sprinted but did actually keep pace on the Stage 6 finish to Cullera and in Alberto Dainese for Team DSM, the Italian has finished inside the top-five three times. With no Madrid finish on Stage 21, only three sprint days remain at this Vuelta? Both Jakobsen and Philipsen look set to continue their head-to-head – the Dutchman and Belgian are streets ahead of everyone else!
Cycling is magnificent year after year. Stages 10 to 21 are still to come, the weird feeling of no Madrid to conclude the 76th Vuelta is now one rest day closer. The heat has also been a talking point, so much so that the finale on the Balcon de Alicante did not allow spectators at the top due to risk of forest fires! Hot weather is due to continue, the riders having to adapt to something that is becoming a norm.
The Vuelta is well underway! The race for red continues…
General Classification Top-Ten after Stages 1-9:
1 – Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma) 34 hrs 18 mins 53 secs
2 – Enric Mas (Movistar) + 28 secs
3 – Miguel Ángel López (Movistar) + 1 min 21 secs
4 – Jack Haig (Bahrain – Victorious) + 1 min 42 secs
5 – Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) + 1 min 52 secs
6 – Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) + 2 mins 07 secs
7 – Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) + 2 mins 39 secs
8 – Sepp Kuss (Team Jumbo-Visma) + 2 mins 40 secs
9 – Felix Großschartner (BORA-Hansgrohe) + 3 mins 25 secs
10 – David de la Cruz (UAE-Team Emirates) + 3 min 55 secs
