Remco Evenepoel's lead at the Vuelta a Espana was cut on Saturday as reigning champion Primoz Roglic launched a late attack.
Roglic, who is hunting an unprecedented fourth consecutive Vuelta title, had been two minutes and 41 seconds behind Evenepoel heading into stage 14.
Yet with an attack up the final climb of Sierre de La Pandera, at the culmination of a 160-kilometre route, the Slovenian reduced the Belgian's advantage by almost a minute.
Eveneopel stays the favourite with seven stages remaining, but Roglic offered a timely reminder of his power heading into the final week.
It was not all doom and gloom for Evenepoel, who recovered to finish eighth and at least limit his losses.
"It wasn't my best day for sure, I didn't have the best legs, I couldn't accelerate when Roglic went," Evenepoel said.
"I'm still 1:49 ahead in GC, so nothing to really to panic about. I'll try to recover as much as possible and survive tomorrow."
Roglic came third, finishing behind two South Americans in the form of Miguel Angel Lopez and Richard Carapaz, who claimed his second stage win of this year's race.
The INEOS Grenadiers rider held on after being part of a 10-man breakaway, with his climbing prowess coming to the fore.
Carapaz the king of this mountain
Carapaz is the sixth rider to achieve a stage victory ending on La Pandera in La Vuelta, though the first from the Americas. The Ecuadorian is the second rider to have won two stages at this year's race, after Sam Bennett.
With five Grand Tour stage wins to his name, the 29-year-old is top of the charts among South American riders in that regard, too.
STAGE RESULT
1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Greandiers) 4:09:27
2. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0:08
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time
4. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:27
5. Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Greandiers) +0:36
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 52:21:33
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:49
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:43
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 267
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 96
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 96
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Greandiers) 26
3. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
Remco Evenepoel kept his Vuelta a Espana lead firmly intact despite Primoz Roglic's efforts, as Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory on Friday.
Evenepoel had suffered a fall on Thursday but kept safely in the peloton in stage 13 to ensure history hunting Roglic – who crossed over the line in ninth on the uphill finish in Montilla – did not make a dent into his general classification lead.
A bunch sprint for the line was won by Pedersen, who recorded the first Vuelta stage win of his career, following on from a maiden individual success at the Tour de France earlier this year.
Pedersen, who already held the green points jersey, had to react sharply to an attack from Pascal Ackermann in the last 500 metres, but the Dane had too much power and had time to celebrate as he crossed.
Along with Kaden Groves and Bryan Coquard, Pedersen had previously reeled in a three-man breakaway of Julius van den Berg, Ander Okamika and Joan Bou.
Coquard had enough to overtake Ackermann, who just about held onto third place ahead of Fred Wright.
"It's super nice," Trek-Segafredo rider Pedersen told reporters after ensuring a Dane has won at least one stage at La Vuelta for four consecutive editions of the Grand Tour.
"We came here for a stage win and now we have won. We'll keep fighting to get one more.
"It's nice with a comfortable lead in the points jersey. We keep fighting for the stages and we'll see how it goes."
Evenepoel, meanwhile, has now held the red jersey for eight successive stages, the longest such streak for a Belgian at La Vuelta since Ferdi Van den Haute in 1978 (10 stages).
COVID not stopping Ayuso
A raft of positive COVID-19 cases have disrupted this year's race, but one rider who is able to carry on is Juan Ayuso.
The UAE Team Emirates youngster - who sits an impressive fifth returned a positive test result ahead of Friday's stage, and team doctor Adrian Rotunno confirmed the 19-year-old is fine to continue.
"As per our internal protocols Juan Ayuso was tested for COVID-19 and returned a positive result this morning. He is asymptomatic and analysing his PCR found he had a very low risk of infectivity, similar to cases such as we saw at this year's Tour de France," Rotunno confirmed to the media.
STAGE RESULT
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 3:46:01
2. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) same time
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) same time
4. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) same time
5. Danny van Poppel (BORA-Hansgrohe) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 48:11:10
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 247
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 96
3. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 96
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 20
Remco Evenepoel said his bike bore the brunt of the crash that gave the Vuelta a Espana leader a scare, as Richard Carapaz scored an eye-catching stage 12 victory.
The 192.7-kilometre ride from Salobrena to Estepona took the riders through the province of Malaga, and with just over 45km remaining there was a jolt for general classification front-runner Evenepoel when the Belgian took a chance on a corner.
Looking to take an inside line, Evenepoel's calculation failed to pay off as his wheels slipped, leaving him grounded and shaken momentarily, with his right leg having scraped on the road.
He was soon back in the race and finished strongly, preserving his lead of two minutes and 41 seconds over three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic in the GC standings.
Asked about any after-effects, Evenepoel said on Eurosport: "Just my leg, but it's fine I think. My bike is much worse than myself.
"It was a super slippery corner. The motorbikes were slipping as well, and slowing down, so that's why I actually wanted to cut the corner, but it was a bit too much.
"Sorry for my words, but s*** happens. Now I'm just going to heal the wounds and try to recover for tomorrow as it will be a sprint stage."
It was largely flat on Thursday, until the steep ascent of Penas Blancas in the closing kilometres proved an arduous test of the riders' legs.
Carapaz, part of a breakaway that splintered as the race and the climb progressed, made his move with 2km remaining and surged clear to finish nine seconds ahead of Wilco Kelderman, with Marc Soler in third. Jay Vine, expected to make a push for the win, could only finish seventh.
Carapaz makes his presence felt
Three years on from winning the Giro d'Italia, this was Carapaz's first stage win of his Vuelta career. He has been the man in the red jersey before, eventually ceding it to finish runner-up to Roglic in 2020, but has not shown that level of consistent performance this year.
His dart to victory up the mountain was mightily impressive, though, serving as a reminder of the 29-year-old's great talent.
STAGE RESULT
1. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) 4:38:26
2. Wilco Kelderman (BORA-Hansgrohe), +0:09
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), +0:24
4. Jan Polanc (UAE Team Emirates), +0:26
5. Marco Brenner (Team DSM), +0:34
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 44:25:09
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 184
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 96
3. Samuele Battistella (Astana) 87
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 20
Team-BikeExchange-Jayco leader Simon Yates was forced to withdraw from the Vuelta a Espana due to COVID-19, though team-mate Kaden Groves took the stage 11 win on Wednesday.
The 2018 Vuelta winner Yates was in fifth place after the first 10 stages of this year's race but has had to pull out, just as he did in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year due to a knee injury.
Ninth-placed Ineos Grenadiers rider Pavel Sivakov was also required to withdraw after returning a positive coronavirus test.
Groves put a positive spin on the day for Yates' team, though, securing the win in Cabo de Gata after seeing off competition in a bunch sprint, finishing ahead of Danny van Poppel of Bora-Hansgrohe and Tim Merlier of Alpecin-Deceuninck.
"It feels fantastic," Groves said. "This morning with the news of Simon going positive for COVID-19, all the boys were disappointed. It's the best way to bounce back after such bad news."
The 23-year-old became the first BikeExchange rider to win a La Vuelta stage since Yates in 2018.
Elsewhere, world road champion Julian Alaphilippe's competition is over after he was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone following a crash.
It leaves Alaphilippe's defence of his title at next month's World Championships in Wollongong in doubt.
Evenepoel maintains gap at the top
Remco Evenepoel is the first under-23 rider to lead La Vuelta for six or more stages since Dietrich Thurau in 1976 (six).
The gap to the lead remained unchanged as none of the frontrunners in the general classification troubled the stage leaders on Wednesday.
STAGE RESULT
1. Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco) 5:03:14
2. Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
3. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) same time
4. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) same time
5. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 39:39:04
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 184
2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 85
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 17
Remco Evenepoel produced an individual time-trial masterclass on stage 10 to increase his overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana.
The 22-year-old Belgian completed the 30.9-kilometre course in a blistering 33 minutes and 18 seconds in Alicante on Tuesday, making a big statement following a rest day.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider Evenepoel extended his general classification advantage to two minutes and 41 seconds over defending champion Primoz Roglic, who moved above Enric Mas into second place.
It was a maiden Grand Tour stage victory for Evenepoel, who powered along the route to strengthen his grip on La Roja.
Jumbo-Visma's Roglic crossed the line 48 seconds slower than the leader, while Evenepoel's team-mate Remi Cavagna was a full minute off the pace in third place.
INEOS Grenadiers duo Carlos Rodriguez and Pavel Sivakov finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Sam Bennett, a contender to win the sprint jersey, was unable to take to the ramp to start stage 10 due to a positive COVID-19 test that ended his participation in the race.
Evenepoel's time-trial triumph ends long Belgium wait
Not since 1979 had a Belgian rider won an individual time trial at the Vuelta, with Fons De Wolf the man to set the pace all those years ago in Valladolid.
This was a special day for Evenepoel as he took the top step of the podium and gave himself further breathing space, knowing there is plenty of work still to be done.
STAGE RESULT
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 33:18
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +0.48
3. Remi Cavagna (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1:00
4. Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) +1:22
5. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) +1:27
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 34:35:50
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 147
2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 85
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 17
Remco Evenepoel extended his overall lead at the Vuelta a Espana as he stormed up the final climb during stage nine.
Evenepoel held a 28-second lead in the General Classification heading into Sunday's 153.4-kilometre route from Villaviciosa to Les Praeres, but is now over a minute ahead of the chasing pack, including three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic.
Indeed, Roglic's chances of claiming an unprecedented fourth straight Vuelta crown will look bleak if Evenepoel can replicate this form for the rest of the race.
Louis Meintjes was the stage winner on the category one climb to the line, finishing over a minute ahead of Italian duo Samuele Battistella and Edoardo Zambanini.
Evenepoel came in fourth, well over a minute behind Meintjes, but he was 44 seconds clear of Enric Mas, who occupies second in the race for the red jersey, and 53 seconds ahead of Roglic.
The Belgian is now one minute and 12 seconds ahead of Mas and almost two minutes better off than Roglic, and his feat is even more impressive considering he went into the stage having lost a key figure in his team, with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl domestique Pieter Serry having tested positive for COVID-19.
Likewise, Roglic and Jumbo-Visma will have to manage the rest of the La Vuelta without Sepp Kuss, who withdrew with a fever, while Wout Poels joined Serry in returning a positive coronavirus test.
Maiden win for Meintjes
While Evenepoel did the damage in the GC, Meintjes' ride cannot be overlooked. He was the strongest of a nine-man breakaway and held on to claim his first stage win at a Grand Tour.
"It's something really special – I think it still needs some time to sink in. I've actually never been on the podium of a World Tour race except for team classifications so that was one of my main goals before stopping my career," the South African said.
"The last few days in the mountain finishes I was just not quite fast enough to keep up with the GC guys. Then, if I don't get a result that way, the best is to go in the breakaway. It worked out perfectly today. I was quite lucky – my team controlled it quite well and I tried once and picked the right breakaway so that was good teamwork."
STAGE RESULT
1. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 4:32:39
2. Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan Team) +1:01
3. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) +1:14
4. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1:34
5. Filippo Conca (Lotto Soudal) +1:58
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 34:02:32
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +1:12
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:53
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 147
2. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 142
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 17
Jay Vine landed a second stage win in three days at the Vuelta a Espana after a magnificent climb through mountain mist to the finish line.
The Australian made his decisive move on Saturday's stage eight with just under 6km remaining as crowds roared on his bravura move, with the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider leaving behind fellow breakaway riders.
Vine had a 25-second lead with 1.5km remaining as Spaniard Marc Soler just about stayed in touch, but the gap was 43 seconds in the end, the home challenge having faded.
The 153.4-kilometre Asturias mountain stage from Pola de Laviana contained a sting in the tail, a category one ascent to the Collau Fancuaya finish.
Having won an exacting stage from Bilbao to Pico Jano on Thursday for his first Grand Tour win, it was impressive that Vine was able to produce a repeat.
"It's incredible," said 26-year-old Vine on Eurosport. "I've got so much more confidence after that first one, I got the monkey off my back. It felt so much more natural riding in the group today and all the pressure was off me. Today was such a fun day."
He featured among a group that surged clear of the peloton and held a lead of over four minutes inside 60km, and although it later splintered Vine had plenty of company heading into the closing 10km.
His surge did the job, though, denying Soler what would have been a third Spanish victory in four days following Jesus Herrada's Friday win.
In the general classification picture, Remco Evenepoel stayed out in front, but Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) slipped from second to 30th overall after a rough ride, allowing Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic to each nudge up a place to podium positions.
Vine vaults to KOM top spot
Vine's dominant ride saw him take over at the top of the King of the Mountains standings – the fourth Australian to achieve that feat after Simon Clarke, Nathan Haas and Michael Storer – following misfortune for previous leader Victor Langellotti.
Langellotti (Burgos-BH) crashed out early in the stage and was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured collarbone and concussion.
STAGE RESULT
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +0:43
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 0:43
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +0:47
5. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1:20
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 29:28:19
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +0:28
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:01
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 147
2. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 142
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 16
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 12
Jesus Herrada snatched an emotional sprint victory on stage seven of the Vuelta a Espana as the experienced rider led home a breakaway group of five.
Three years after making a Grand Tour breakthrough with a maiden stage win in the Vuelta, the 32-year-old Cofidis man roared to glory on the 190-kilometre ride from Camargo to Cistierna.
He broke down in tears at the roadside afterwards but gathered his thoughts and said: "We fought to the finish line and we were able to do it.
"This victory is very important because it took a lot to break away until we gained a distance. We had to work very hard."
A group containing Samuele Battistella (Astana), Herrada (Cofidis), Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Harrison Sweeny (Lotto Soudal) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) pulled well clear of the peloton early on, with a number of fellow riders falling away on the category one ascent of Puerto de San Glorio.
With 10km remaining, the lead quintet's advantage was coming down and had shrunk to one minute and one second, and the chasers looked perhaps capable of reeling them in.
That did not prove to be the case, though, allowing focus to switch to those at the head of the race as cat-and-mouse racing saw the riders snake through the streets of Cistierna.
Wright briefly looked like he had the win in his hands, but he had made his move to the front from too far out and was pipped just short of the finish line by Herrada. The stage winner and Battistella both blazed past the Briton in a final burst for glory, and the home rider took the win by barely half a wheel.
More success for Spain
It was a second Spanish win in three stages, after Marc Soler prevailed in stage five on Wednesday, and a mountainous weekend now awaits the teams. The leading general classification positions remained unchanged after the peloton's bunch finish, with Remco Evenepoel keeping the red jersey.
Quoted by Marca, Herrada said of Friday's breakaway: "The five of us who were in it understood each other quite well. We gave it our all until the end and it paid off.
"The terrain and a bit of the wind played in our favour. I'm very, very happy. It's the second Spanish win after Marc's, we're not so bad in Spanish cycling."
STAGE RESULT
1. Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) 04:30:58
2. Samuele Battistella (Astana) same time
3. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) same time
4. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) same time
5. Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 25:21:34
2. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) +00:00:21
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:00:28
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 142
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 127
3. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 64
King of the Mountains
1. Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) 13
2. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 11
3. Ruben Fernandez (Cofidis) 11
Jay Vine secured a first professional victory on stage six of the Vuelta a Espana in weather conditions so bad TV cameras could not even pick up footage of him crossing the line.
The Australian, a late convert from indoor cycling, finished a comfortable 15 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, though the Belgian still took the red jersey, which hands for the third day in a row.
Enric Mas remained in the hunt with a third-place finish, sitting 28 seconds behind Evenepoel in the General Classification, while Primoz Roglic could not keep pace and finished over a minute behind his rivals.
Juan Ayuso came fourth, 55 seconds off the lead, while Rudy Molard – second in the standings and 21 seconds behind Evenepoel – finished 35th on the day.
Evenepoel's charge to the top of the standings sees the Belgian become the youngest leader of the Vuelta since Ettore Pastorelli 34 years ago, taking the red jersey following an unprecedented summit finish at Pico Jano.
Three more days of action over the weekend before the next rest period in Alicante on Monday leaves plenty left to be decided, and there have been several surprises over the course of the week.
Vine's jubilation
Vine was understandably over the moon with his performance and found himself looking back on fulfilling a dream after a tricky start.
"It's almost unreal. At 70k to go, I missed the break; got a flat tyre in the first 5k. Even though it was still the team's plan if it all came back together for me to go on the final climb, it's unreal to be able to do it," he told Eurosport.
"From the GC group, it's incredible. I've been working towards this all year, after last year, coming so close. It's a dream come true."
STAGE RESULT
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 04:38:00
2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +00:00:15
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:00:16
4. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +00:00:55
5. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +00:01:37
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 20:50:07
2. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) +00:00:21
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:00:28
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 127
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 118
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 47
King of the Mountain
1. Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) 13
2. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 11
3. Ruben Fernandez (Cofidis) 11
Marc Soler secured a surprise victory on stage five of the Vuelta a Espana, charging clear on the final climb and coming home unopposed after indecision from those behind him.
Soler looked like he could be cruelly denied victory in the final kilometre with a group of six chasing and appearing to be in striking distance, but there was little support as they looked to bridge the gap in the closing stages.
The 28-year-old's victory secured Spain's first stage win on any Grand Tour for almost two years, the last being Ion Izagirre in 2020 - bringing an end to a 121-stage barren run for the home nation.
The UAE Team Emirates rider finished four seconds ahead of a group of 10 riders behind him, which included Rudy Molard - who climbed to the top of the standings with a fourth-place finish to take the red jersey, with former leader Primoz Roglic finishing five minutes and nine seconds behind Soler.
Molard's lead puts him at the top for the first time since 2018, when he led on four occasions, and boasts five of the seven stage leads that French riders have had since 2018.
Daryl Impey came second ahead of Fred Wright, the latter still waiting for his first stage win of the competition this year but sitting just two seconds behind Molard in the standings.
Wright holds regret
Still seeking a first stage win this year, Wright was frustrated by the fact he was unable to catch Soler for the lead.
"I was feeling strong but I'm disappointed, I was just too marked. We should have caught him, plain and simple, but it just didn't happen," he told Eurosport.
"It's a shame that I'm close to that win again. I'm sure there will be better days."
STAGE RESULT
1. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 4:15:23
2. Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) +00:00:04
3. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) +00:00:04
4. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) +00:00:04
5. G Lawson Craddock (Team Bikeexchange-Jayco) +00:00:04
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) 16:07:02
2. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) +0:02
3. Nikias Arndt (Team DSM) +1:09
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 127
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 118
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 47
King of the Mountains
1. Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) 13
2. Roger Adria Oliveras (Equipo Kern Pharma) 6
3. G Lawson Craddock (Team Bikeexchange-Jayco) 5
Defending champion Primoz Roglic roared to the top of the Vuelta a Espana standings with a first stage win of this year's competition on day four in the Basque Country.
With the race resuming on Tuesday after a break to transfer from the Netherlands, the Slovenian moved up from third to take the red jersey with victory from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Laguardia.
Despite no other team members making the top 10 for the day, Roglic was ably supported by his fellow Team Jumbo–Visma riders, who helped him command the final uphill sprint to take victory.
After back-to-back stage wins for Ireland's Sam Bennett, it means Roglic has now reinforced his title defence, dethroning team-mate Edoardo Affini at the top.
Roglic edged Mads Pedersen, whose strong Vuelta continues apace with his third consecutive second-place finish, moving him up to ninth in the General Classification and second in points.
The former's team-mate Sepp Kuss lies second, 13 seconds off the overall lead, though the rest of their fellow Jumbo-Visma riders have slipped down the ranks ahead of Wednesday's leg from Irun to Bilbao.
Roglic happy to build early advantage
For the first time this year, Roglic has built a double-digit lead, and says he is happy to take the early advantage.
"It's really just the beginning of La Vuelta but it's always better to be 10 seconds ahead rather than behind," he stated.
"It was already a hard pace the whole day, with a super fast and hard stage. The finale was an opportunity to fight for the stage win. I had the legs so I gave it a go."
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 3:31:05
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) same time
4. Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) same time
5. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 11:50:59
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +13 seconds
3. Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers) +26 seconds
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 127
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 118
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 34
King of the Mountains
1. Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 5
2. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 3
3. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 3
Sam Bennett made it back-to-back stage wins to cement his place as a dark horse outsider on Sunday at the Vuelta a Espana.
The 31-year-old Irishman claimed victory on Saturday amid a mass sprint in Utrecht, and backed up his points classification credentials with a second Grand Tour stage in as many days in Breda.
As the Vuelta packs up to make the transfer to Spain following its start in the Netherlands, it means Bennett – left out of the Tour de France for a second successive year – leads the points standings.
With such a strong performance to date, the BORA-hansgrohe rider is not ruling out a sustained push for the green jersey, but Bennett acknowledges the riders have barely scratched the surface of this year's race.
"There is a long way to go [and] anything can happen," Bennett said, quoted by Cycling News. "But we want the sprint jersey and we will start to commit more to look at points.
"We have two stages now, so we can make bigger decisions on when to take points and when to leave them. Hopefully we can compete for the green – that would be really nice."
Mads Pedersen nabbed second for the second day in a row, while Briton Dan McLay improved his day-by-day performance from sixth to third.
The race will resume on Tuesday, starting from Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country, with Edoardo Affini leading a top-six lockout for Jumbo-Visma in the general classification standings.
Affini is tied on the clock with three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic, plus Sam Oomen, Sepp Kuss, Mike Teunissen and Robert Gesink.
STAGE RESULT
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 4:05:53
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Dan McLay (Arkea-Samsic) same time
4. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) same time
5. Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) 8:20:07
2. Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe) 117
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 80
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 34
King of the Mountains
1. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 3
2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) 2
3. Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-Samsic) 1
Sam Bennett claimed his first Grand Tour stage win in two years as he held off a mass sprint to take victory on Saturday at the Vuelta a Espana.
In the second of three stages held in the Netherlands, the Irishman justified his selection for BORA-Hansgrohe by refinding his form in Utrecht.
Bennett has endured a difficult season, having been left out of the Tour de France for a second straight year, but capitalised on the lead-out qualities of team-mates Ryan Mullen and Danny van Poppel.
"Danny brought me up with speed, then he was kind of ready for me to jump, but I waited a second, and I didn't know if I'd let my speed drop too much, and I was nervous I wouldn't get on top of the speed again," Bennett said.
"Danny didn't deliver me; he launched me. It was down to the boys today.
"It's nice. I knew I'd do it again, it was just a matter of getting the right legs. What I'm really happy about is continuing my pattern of winning at least one stage in every Grand Tour I've done since 2018."
Mads Pederson came in second, having been unable to sustain an early attack, with Tim Merlier finishing third.
Jumbo-Visma dominate the general classification standings, with Mike Teunissen, who crossed in fourth place, taking the leader's jersey from team-mate Robert Gesink.
Three-time reigning champion Primoz Roglic shares that lead.
More Vuelta joy for Bennett
Bennett has now won nine stages in GTs, with four of those coming at La Vuelta. That makes the race his favourite of the big three, with the 31-year-old having won three at the Giro d'Italia and two at the Tour de France.
STAGE RESULT
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 3:49:34
2. Mads Pederson (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) same time
4. Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
5. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) 4:14:14
2. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 50
2. Mads Pederson (Trek-Segafredo) 50
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 26
King of the Mountains
1. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 2
2. Thibault Guernalec (Arkea-Samsic) 1
Robert Gesink took the red jersey on home soil after Jumbo-Visma dominated the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Utrecht on Friday.
It was a day to remember for the Dutch team as they hit the ground running in the team time-trial.
Jumbo-Visma covered the 23.3-kilometre route in 24 minutes and 40 seconds, with Gesink first across the line to ensure he will don La Roja for stage two from 's-Hertogenbosch back to Utrecht on Saturday.
Ineos Grenadiers were 13 seconds back in second place, with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl third at the start of the last Grand Tour of the year.
Jumbo-Visma's fit-again defending champion Primoz Roglic could not have asked for a much better start to his bid to become the first rider to win the Vuelta in four successive years.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco were fourth, with Chris Froome's Israel Premier Tech down in 16th.
Roglic confident after 'perfect' start
Slovenian Roglic abandoned the Tour de France last month, having soldiered on despite suffering a dislocated shoulder and a back injury when he crashed on stage five.
Having been passed fit for a shot at history in a race he has dominated, the 32-year-old was delighted with the start his team made.
He said: "It's a great feeling. I think it's well deserved. It was really nice to be out today with huge crowds and with my guys. Everyone did a perfect job, so we were enjoying.
"My condition is good enough to win today. I'm super happy about it. It was a pleasure today, the guys did a really great job. Twenty days more to come."
On Gesink being in red, Roglic said: "He's the one that deserves it the most, it's a pleasure racing for so many years with him. I started with him in the team, he taught me a lot and it's nice to win as the home team with a home rider."
STAGE RESULT (TEAM)
1. Jumbo-Visma 24:40
2. Ineos Grenadiers 24:53
3. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl 24:54
4. Team BikeExchange-Jayco 25:11
5. UAE Team Emirates 25:13
CLASSIFICATION FINAL STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma) 24:40
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) same time
Primoz Roglic will set out on a mission to create cycling history as the Slovenian gets his Vuelta a Espana campaign under way on Friday.
The 77th edition of the Grand Tour starts in Utrecht, with the opening three stages taking place across the Netherlands before the caravan transfers to Spain.
It is only the fourth time that the Vuelta has started outside of Spain, after doing so in Portugal in 1997, the Netherlands in 2009 and France in 2017.
Spanish riders have won 32 of the previous 76 editions, but not since 2014 has a Spaniard triumphed, when Alberto Contador tasted glory.
It is the longest wait for a Spaniard champion in the race's history, and in the last three years, it is Roglic who has dominated.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Valverde, the 2009 champion, will bid goodbye to his home Grand Tour.
Roglic's shot at history
Roglic won his first Vuelta title in 2019 and successfully defended in 2020, despite his heartbreaking defeat to Tadej Pogacar at that year's Tour de France.
He crashed out of Le Tour in 2021 but bounced back in style, winning Olympic gold in Tokyo before clinching a third-straight Vuelta triumph to match the feats of Tony Rominger (1992 to 1994) and Roberto Heras (2003 to 2005).
Now, Roglic has history in his sights. Only Heras has won the Vuelta on four occasions, but no rider has ever won it over four successive years.
The 32-year-old Roglic's Tour de France again ended early this year, as he watched team-mate Jonas Vingegaard storm to success and set up a rivalry with Roglic's compatriot Pogacar that should enthral for years to come; but at the Vuelta, Roglic is Jumbo-Visma's main man.
Roglic has won the Vuelta in all of his three appearances, reaching nine stage wins in this period, more than any other rider (Fabio Jakobsen is the next best, with five to his name). He also claimed the points ranking in both 2019 and 2020, and could equal Erik Zabel (three) as joint-second on the all-time list for that classification, behind Sean Kelly, Valverde and Laurent Jalabert (four each).
"Of course the record gives me more motivation, it's special," said Roglic in a press conference on Thursday. "We're going to fight for that."
There are some concerns over his fitness after the injury he suffered at Le Tour, however.
Roglic said: "At certain moments I still feel some pain, but it is already much better than before. We'll see. If I get to the start here, it means I'm ready too. But I'll have to wait and see in the coming days and weeks to find out how it really goes."
Roglic could also feasibly set a record for the most stages wearing the red leader's jersey. He is currently level with Herras on 36, 12 behind Alex Zulle's haul of 48.
A last dance for Vuelta veterans?
Valverde, of Movistar, will be making his 16th Vuelta appearance. The 42-year-old has achieved more podium finishes in the general classification than any other rider, having done so on seven occasions, including his 2009 success.
If he completes the race, Valverde, who has won 12 individual stages at La Vuelta, will equal Federico Etxabe, Chente Garcia Acosta and Inigo Cuesta as riders who have finished the most times (14).
"To win a stage would be incredible," Valverde said on Thursday. "I don't believe I will be at the same level as the best during 21 days, but we do have a team-mate who can be among the top three or perhaps even win. What I see for myself is that I will try to win a stage."
Chris Froome, meanwhile, is a two-time Vuelta champion who is out to prove himself once more.
The seven-time Grand Tour winner has been struggling with COVID-19 in the build-up this time but is set to make his eighth appearance in the race, having finished on the podium four times, taking the 2011 and 2017 titles.
The first of those victories was only awarded to Froome in 2019 after original race winner Juan Jose Cobo was disqualified for a doping offence.
In a stellar career, Froome has become the first British rider to win all three of the biggest races in cycling.
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