Friday, September 12th, 19th stage: Rueda > Guijuelo
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has turned into a proper master of sprints in La Vuelta, claiming on Friday his third stage win in this edition. The Belgian star first appeared in 2020, taking one victory. He returned in 2021 and claimed two more. This year marks his third participation in the Spanish Grand Tour, and he has now won three of the four bunch sprints contested so far (finishing 2nd behind Ben Turner in Voiron). This time, he edged out Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who has all but secured the green jersey with a 100-point margin over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), the last rider theoretically still able to challenge him in the points classification. Vingegaard contested the intermediate sprint and took 4 bonus seconds, extending his GC lead to 44 seconds over Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) ahead of the final weekend and Saturday’s gruelling showdown at Bola del Mundo.
A rare respite for the GC contenders? Stage 18 of La Vuelta 25 is flat, with no categorised climb and just 1,117 metres of elevation over 161.9 km of racing between Rueda and Guijuelo. Sprinters eye their first chance to shine since Jasper Philipsen’s victory in Zaragoza (stage 8), and everyone is wary about the wind that may change the scripts on the valley around Salamanca.
2 – 1 = a lone attacker
Already the first attacker on day 15, Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural-Seguros-RGA) sets off as soon as the flag drops. He’s joined by Victor Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) but the French rouleur drops back to the bunch, leaving Otruba alone at the front with 145 kilometres to go to Guijuelo.
Jasper Philipsen’s Alpecin-Deceuninck and Elia Viviani’s Lotto are tasked with driving the bunch. The gap hits a maximum of 4 minutes after 40 kilometres of racing.
Vingegaard and Philipsen sprint
Otruba still leads the way in Salamanca (intermediate sprint, km 103), but the gap to the bunch is down to a minute. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) comes 2nd on the line to grab 4 bonus seconds and push to 44’’ his GC lead on Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
The bunch accelerate again through the wind, and Otruba is caught with 52 km to go. Burgos Burpellet BH’s Mario Aparicio and Sergio Chumil attack 11 km later, but another acceleration by the bunch, powered by Alpecin-Deceuninck and Visma-Lease a Bike, nullifies their move 35 km from the finish.
A fast paced peloton storm Guijuelo with Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) driving Ben Turner into the last kilometre. Alpecin-Deceuninck surge past the Grenadiers and Ed Planckaert delivers Philipsen in a perfect position to take his third stage win out of four bunch sprints at La Vuelta 25, ahead of Mads Pedersen, who all but secures the green jersey with a 100-margin on Vingegaard. There are 110 points on offer in the last two stages.
Stage 19
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 3h50’35”
- Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) +0’00”
- Orluis Alberto Aular Sanabria (Movistar Team) +0’00”
GC
- Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 68h57’44”
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates XRG) +0’44”
- Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +2’43”
