Fabio Aru is poised to win the Vuelta a Espana after seizing the overall lead back from Tom Dumoulin on today’s penultimate stage thanks to a strong performance from his Astana team.
The stage itself was won by Lampre-Merida’s Ruben Plaza, who attacked from a big escape group of around 40 riders with more than 100 kilometres left.
Giant-Shimano’s Dumoulin, imperious in Wednesday’s individual time trial when he took the red jersey for the third time in the race, was just 6 seconds ahead of Aru this morning.
But with four Category 1 climbs figuring on today’s 186 kilometre stage from San Lorenzo de El Escorial ahead of a downhill run to the finish in Cercedilla, the Dutch rider’s advantage over the Sardinian never seemed likely to be enough.
So it proved as Aru dropped him on the last but one of those ascents, and Dumoulin fell to sixth on General Classification, while Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez goes second with Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rafal Majka third.
Aru, who was runner-up to Alberto Contador at May’s Giro d’Italia, just needs to safely complete tomorrow’s processional stage into Madrid to take the first Grand Tour win of his career.
It comes at the same age, 25, that his team mate Vincenzo Nibali – along with Contador the only man currently racing to have won all three Grand Tours – was when he won the first of those in Spain in 2010.
Nibali started this year's race but was disqualified just two days in after video showed him accepting a tow from a team car as he tried to rejoin the front group after a crash.
locks looks very sturdy
Cav - you need one more stage win, and you'll still have it in you in 2023 2024 or 2025. Keep the faith brother.
That Roasting was on the bogus advantage of ceramic bearings over metal bearings, which is only apparent at thousands of rpm, not the actual...
I'd like to see riders have their own helmet designs, like we see in motorsport, as well as a personal squad number.....
I fancy Thomas may stumble upon quite a few fantasy pts just by virtue of how he rides now. He's always at the head of the peloton over those final...
Magistrates? A quick dip into "the secret barrister" (plus notes from an acquaintance) suggests the truth is somewhere between "tireless and canny...
Some false equivalences here. A mile stretch of road you can do at 20mph takes three minutes. Slowed to an average around 10mph at best on a...
Apt since he's describing Llareggub being done by lidl.
Last time I went past there it was the Branch pub and the Unit 4 cinema was still there but what is clear from early observation is that the rider...
They could have focused on the £17.8 million boost to the economy instead.