Landa’s epic victory in the queen stage and Mas is the virtual winner of La Vuelta with the last day of the race remaining
A stage to remember, to rub your eyes. The last great mountain day of La Vuelta 26 today offered as a culmination an unprecedented rise in professional cycling: the Alguacil Hill, special category, unprecedented in the race. Its 8.3 kilometers at 9.8% were going to be the great challenge for the contenders for victory in the general classification of the 81st edition of the Spanish round, after a criminal day, with almost 5,000 meters of difference in altitude and five tough climbs, with the double pass at Port of El Purche (1st) and Port of El Duque (1st)prior to the outcome at the top of the Alguacil Hillin an increase with percentages of up to 22%.
An unforgettable day for Spanish cycling in which the Alavés Mikel Landa has risen from the ashes to win again six years later and in which Enric Mas He has more than enough, with the invaluable help of a full Movistar, to control his rivals, who have not had the option to tickle him, and sentence La Vuelta in his favor in the absence of the last act tomorrow.
A penultimate stage of a Vuelta with a clear Andalusian flavor that has broken into a thousand pieces at the beginning and has had many protagonists and heroes. Roll of honor in which they appear on their own merit Landa and Moreat whose side we should place the American Sepp Kussto Belgian Wout Van Aert and to the Ecuadorian Richard Carapazthree of the prominent names in a stage that will go down in the history of La Vuelta by recovering the best version of a runner like Mikel, who, like Mas, has been pursued excessively by misfortune, as when this year in the Itzulia A motorcycle knocked him over and fractured his pelvis. Today the ‘landismo’ sticks out its chest and pays tribute to its hero.
The one of Murgia He arrived from behind the large leading group 53 kilometers from the finish line, stuck to them and cemented his victory seven kilometers from the finish line, when he left the Norwegian Tobias Halland Johannessen and from the Belgian Ramses Debruyne, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
While the team runner Soudalleaves the team this year and returns to his orange origins of the Euskaltel the next two years before ending his career, he gave everything to certify his victory 1,862 days later, the Austrian Felix Gall (3rd overall) pulled from caste and left the group of notables. The best overall finishers spent the entire day together. Of them, only Carapaz tried to his heart’s content, but his legs didn’t support him, before Gall tried in the last three kilometers to cut his time. Roglic and snatch 2nd place overall.
Only Furtherthe leader, strong as a bull, jumped onto the wheel Gall.Roglic He couldn’t and went up at his own pace. He had almost two minutes to spare and successfully defended himself like a belly-up cat. He gave up 37 more seconds with Enriquewho distances himself 2’15” from the Slovenian, but maintains second place overall with almost 30 seconds over Gall.
Enric Mas, After hitting rock bottom last year, he is one step away from embracing glory in The Return. One day after being crowned champion of the Spanish round, twelve years after Alberto Contador gave the last victory to Spanish cycling in La Vuelta. in a unique setting like the city of Grenade and the Alhambra as a witness.
