Olympic champion Primoz Roglic is the third consecutive victory in the Tour of Spain.
The Slovenian professional cyclist managed to defend his red jersey for the first team in the last mountain stage. With this, Roglic is running the final individual test at a distance of 33.8 kilometers from Padron to Santiago de Compostela, with a 2:38 lead over Spaniard Enrique Mas. Australian Jack Haig is now third after 4:48 minutes.
Among the contenders for the podium, Roglic passed Alto Castro de Herville in second, six seconds behind Frenchman Clément Champusin. Britain’s Adam Yates won third place, ahead of Mass and Haig.
The biggest losers of the day were Colombians Miguel Angel Lopez and Egan Bernal, who were still third and fifth before the stage. Both were left early and lost a lot of time. Hot Spear Lopez even got off his bike before the final climb and ended the ride prematurely. Movistar’s sporting director, Bacchi Villa, had previously tried to finish the stage without success.
For Roglic, 2021 will take a good turn. After his agonizing end in the Tour de France, he won the Olympic gold in the individual time trial and dominated the event in the Vuelta a total of three stages. Another day that could follow on Sunday, the 31-year-old was unbeatable in the opening time trial in Burgos.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210904-99-93856 / 4 (dpa)