La Vuelta a España
Roglič wins second stage to reclaim ground on Vuelta leader
The Slovenian champion dominates Sierra de Cazorla Climb, narrowing the gap to leader Ben O'Connor; Spaniard Enric Mas stays in contention.
8850 Media
CAZORLA, Spain: Slovenian cyclist Primoz Roglič won his second stage at the Vuelta a España on Saturday to reclaim time lost to overall race leader Ben O’Connor.
The Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team rider put in an impressive performance during the eighth stage of the tour. He overtook Spaniard Enric Mas, demonstrating his strength on the punishing final climb of the Sierra de Cazorla in Andalusia, with gradients exceeding 15 per cent.
The three-time Vuelta champion clawed back nearly a minute in the general classification standings, leaving him 3 minutes and 49 seconds behind O’Connor. Mas, the only rider able to keep pace with Roglič in the final kilometres, remains close in the fight.
“I suffered. It was hard and hot today, but in the end, I gave it my all,” the 34-year-old Roglič told reporters after the race. “The opportunity was there, and I went for it. I was lucky to have the legs to take it today.”
O’Connor, who had pulled off a stunning feat on Thursday, acknowledged the challenge posed by Roglič. “I was a bit disappointed with how I finished today. I didn’t feel super clutch there,” the Australian said, adding, “It’s more [time] than I wanted to give away today. Hopefully, better days are ahead.”
Canadian Michael Woods finished 22nd in the stage standings, falling short of his team’s goal of a stage win. The Israel-Premier Tech team had planned to launch the Gatineau native for victory, but Woods couldn’t maintain the pace set by the leading riders.
Portuguese rider Joao Almeida, who started the day in third place, saw his hopes of a final victory fade as he lost nearly five minutes, dropping to 26th overall, over nine minutes behind the leader.
Earlier in the stage, Colombian Harold Tejada, Spaniard Oier Lazkano, and Italian Luca Vergallito had a promising lead of more than three minutes. However, they couldn’t hold off the late charge from Roglič and Mas.
On Sunday, the riders will face the intense Andalusian heat again as they tackle the Sierra Nevada, navigating a 178.5km route with three first-category passes between Motril and Granada. (Agencies)
