The general feeling in the peloton is that this day is the Valladolid time trial will mark a before and after in La Vuelta. It will serve to “refine” the general classification, slightly skewed by the breakaways in week one, particularly that of Javalambre where Sepp Kuss is at the front of the race and Marc Soler and Lenny Martínez so far complete the top three overall. Fourth and first of the big favourites, Evenepoel is now considered the rival to beat… according to his own rivals who see the Belgian as the strongest.
They have reasons because he is the reigning world champion of this modality after winning the title in Glasgow a few weeks ago and also because the route is ideal for a specialist. They will be 25 km in total, with a single climb of 600 meters in the first half and 8% unevenness, which is not unusual for the people of such a unit. Straight lines, urban core and occasional roundabouts which, unlike opening day in Barcelona, shouldn’t pose a major risk to runners with the forecast sunshine.
“It’s a bit similar to last year (in Alicante, where he won). The first 5 kilometers are technical with a climb, then a descent and the rest leads straight to the finish line. It will be quick” warns Remco, who will wear the rainbow jersey today. The jumbo, which, as is usual on the rest of the grand tour days, does not usually speak to the media, will face an important test, especially for the red jersey, kiss. The American has assured in the past few days that he must suffer today. His earnings at Evenepoel are 2:22, but the Dutch team has a special focus on Roglic, the Olympic champion in this modality, and Vingegaard, who completed an anthological time trial on the Tour, albeit with more challenging terrain. “Everything is still very balanced and Remco is our main competitor, but Mas and Ayuso also make a good impression. The most difficult stages are still ahead of us“, warns Niermann, sports director of the Jumbo.
And it’s true because after the time trial, the week will be full of mountains, including the Pyrenees, but initially there will be a more realistic classification than the current one. It will be in Valladolid, during the festival week, and Ayuso, who, like Enric Mas, is also showing great performances against the clock, They will try to minimize losses.. Due to traffic, rain and the orientation of the stage (with more sections in a forbidden direction than usual) Many runners didn’t recognize yesterday’s time trial and gave up their homework for this morning, a few hours before the start. Ayuso’s bike development will be a 60×11, similar to other big favorites. Ganna and Bisseger are also “watched”. The first runner, Callum Scotson of the Jayco, will start at 2:01 p.m. Sepp Kuss, the last one, will make it at 17:02.
|
after cyclist |
equipment | Time |
|---|---|---|
1
 |
SOQ | 8:43:11 |
2
 |
MOV | +00:05 |
3
 |
GFC | +00:11 |
4
 |
TJV | +00:31 |
5
 |
BOH | +00:33 |
|
6
|
BOH | +00:33 |
|
7
|
DSM | +00:35 |
8th
 |
TBV | +00:35 |
9
 |
TJV | +00:37 |
10
 |
TJV | +00:37 |
