Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) once again showed that he is comfortable in the mist. He triumphed last Thursday at Pico Jano with hardly any visibility on the road and did it again yesterday alone at Colláu Fancuaya. Nobody would say that, at 26 years old, this cyclist started in the mountain specialty would have his first record (and twice on two unprecedented peaks) in a UCI WorldTour event. The Australian cyclist transmits security in his decision-making and yesterday in the eighth stage, with a devilish pace on the last ascent, he once again left signs that he is in a sensational state of form.
Vine was one of a dozen escapees the platoon was unable to hunt down. As the port advanced, candidates fell (among them Mikel Landa) until with six kilometers to go he decided to launch an attack that found no response from Thibaut Pinot (Groupama - FDJ) and Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché), the last survivors . “It's amazing, I think I have a lot more confidence after the first win at Pico Jano. I took that burden off myself (getting a win) and so today I felt more confident this time. All the pressure disappeared, I ran with more ease”, he said after the stage.
He crossed the finish line unopposed, 43 seconds behind a willing Marc Soler who continues to want to vindicate himself. “Vine was very strong and jumped at the hardest moment. I picked up my rhythm and pushed as far as I could, but I saw that if I didn't loosen up I wouldn't be able to catch him”, said the UAE rider, seller of the fifth stage.
Asturias welcomed the peloton as usual: with demanding ports that this weekend may begin to elucidate the composition of the classification. It is still too early to draw conclusions, but with regard to the general classification, a couple of things can be affirmed: the great favorite Primoz Roglic (Jumbo) does not have enough strength and Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step) is serious. The first, who is in search of his fourth consecutive Vuelta, may be weighed down by the injuries that occurred in a fall in the Tour and that forced him to abandon. Since the mountain has arrived, the Slovenian has kept a low profile, quite the opposite of Evenepoel.
The young Belgian cyclist is not impressed by red at the moment. Before traveling to Spain he had stated in his country that his goal was to win a couple of stages, but minicaníbal has the willpower to do something big. The big question mark for Evenepoel was when he would be ready to start being competitive in a long race. Specialist in classics and short races, at 22 years old he will be seen in another context in this Vuelta.
There is a long race ahead, many attacks to resist from rivals. However, in the stage that passed from Pola de Laviana to Colláu Fancuaya, no opponent made a convincing move to try to shake the one who was the child prodigy of cycling. There was no blood. The group of favorites remained united in the final ascent, which includes Enric Mas (Movistar) who has clearly improved so far on the Vuelta. The Spaniards are performing at a high level these first few days. The Mallorcan is second overall, and two promises such as Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos) Juan Ayuso (UAE) are among the top five.
With the accumulated fatigue, it is expected that in the second act in the Asturian mountains there will be surprises and/or confirmations. The ninth stage, 171.4 kilometers long, begins in Villaviciosa and ends in the fearsome Les Praeres (Nava), with 24% gradients. There will also be four previous ports.
