Seeing is believing. What should have been a transition stage between Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Tomares (189.4 km) ended in unfortunate carnage. A real chaos that began with the puncture of the leader Evenepoel just under three kilometers from the finish line and moments after he attacked Primoz Roglic. Pedersen, Ackermann, Van Poppel and Wright left the wheel of the Slovenian. Neither Mas, nor Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez could respond. But when the Slovenian was riding in search of a few seconds that would bring him closer to the lead, he suffered a very hard fall in the middle of the finish line.
The triple Vuelta champion finished the stage as best he could and collapsed on a fence. Bruised, bloodied and staring blankly. He was trying to catch his breath as he took in what had just happened to him. The blows to his body were deep. In his fall he had hit his right side hard. His knee and elbow were dripping with blood. He had tried to embarrass the leader with a surprise attack. And he had made it. But his courage was run over again by his misfortune with the falls and all this may have left him with no chance of victory and who knows if also a podium.
Subsequently, the judges decided to award Roglic the time of the front group and Evenepoel that of the peloton, which reached eight seconds. A decision not without controversy, because in the images it is not clear when the Belgian runner suffered the puncture and if he continued to advance to enter the exclusion zone once he punctured. The leader's tranquility was total, yes, and he made it clear what the final decision would be.
The eight seconds that it cuts is a very brief difference for what was sacrificed by the Slovenian, who will have to do a damage count for what comes. Three tough stages, especially tomorrow's, ending at Alto del Piornal, and Saturday's, ending at Navacerrada. For now, today he will have a hard exam with a leg-breaking terrain between Aracena and the Tentundía Monastery (162.3 km), with a final ascent of 9.3 kilometers with ramps close to 8%.
Ahead, Mads Pedersen (Trek) celebrated a victory that few noticed. The image of Roglic crashing to the ground was too shocking. The Dane confirmed that he is clearly the fittest sprinter with his second victory in the Vuelta, as well as a further two second places. If he decides to rethink his refusal to participate in the World Cup in Australia, he would undoubtedly be one of the strongest candidates for victory.
The arrival in Tomares had a trick. After a long journey over the plain of 185 kilometers, an ambush awaited in the form of a hard slope. Surpassable for sprinters. But very demanding for everyone. Roglic knew the terrain well and took advantage of his explosiveness to launch a strong attack. Ackermann held on to his wheel and Pedersen worked unspeakably to join Van Poppel and Wright. Until that moment, the protagonists had been Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH) and Luis Ángel Maté (Euskaltel-Euskadi) by staying away throughout the day until with 20 kilometers to go, the peloton, led by Trek, Cofidis and Alpecin set a pace frantic to an end that would end like the rosary of dawn.
