Three-time former champion Primoz Roglic attacked on the climb to the finish on Saturday and won the eighth stage of the Vuelta a Espana, taking valuable time from Ben O’Connor in the overall lead.
Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) had to work hard to shake off the Australian in the red jersey, but the Slovenian’s pace eventually paid off and he took his second stage win of the race.
Spaniard Enric Mas (Movistar) was beaten by Roglic at the finish line and had to settle for second place, while his compatriot Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) came in third.
O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) crossed the finish line in 17th place, 46 seconds behind Roglic, who also secured a 10-second bonus. The gap to the leader is now three minutes and 49 seconds.
Roglic was expected to try to close the gap on O’Connor on the 159km ride from Ubeda to Cazorla, a mid-mountain stage with a steep climb to finish, and the Slovenian showed his strength when it mattered.
“The chance was there and I took it. It was hard and hot. I was lucky, I had the legs today to take advantage of it,” said Roglic.
In the final kilometers, a trio of riders were in the lead and behind them, Roglic pushed the pace at the front of the peloton, where several riders fell to the ground in crashes.
Roglic made several attempts to break away, but O’Connor did everything he could to stay with his rival’s wheel. However, in the last two kilometers, Roglic took the lead and only Mas could keep up with him.
They overtook the riders ahead of them and Mas took the lead 400 metres from the finish, but Roglic had the stronger kick and took the win and the all-important bonus.
Mas moved up from fourth to third overall, while Joao Almeida slipped down the overall standings after finishing nearly five minutes behind the winner.
Irishman Eddie Dunbar was delighted with his first top 10 finish of the race, finishing eighth and continuing his climb up the overall rankings from 26th to 23rd. Darren Rafferty finished 89th on the day and is 102nd overall.
Sunday’s ninth stage takes the riders 178.5km from Motril to Granada, and with even tougher climbs along the route, O’Connor’s lead could shrink even further if Roglic attacks again before Monday’s rest day.
“I’m racing every day. Let’s see how I react to all this stress on my body after the difficult time with my injury. I still feel it, so we’ll see,” said Roglic.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024
