The winner of the 78th edition of the Vuelta will most certainly be known at the end of the 20th stage, this Saturday evening in Guadarrama, and Sepp Kuss seems equipped to win the first Grand Tour of his career. But, twenty-four hours before arrival in Madrid, the American, who now assumes his status as boss, will still have to be careful.
Because if the danger should not come from his teammates at Jumbo-Visma, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, second and third overall and who seem to have definitively rallied to the cause of their American leader, the relief of the front- last step can still scare more than one person.
A profile compared to that of Liège-Bastogne-Liège
No less than ten passes are on the program during the day, with more than 200 kilometers to cover. For many, the profile of this last great battle of the Tour of Spain is even compared to that of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “It’s going to be a super hard day, like a classic, and long, more than the ones we’ve hadassured Kuss. This is the last chance for the rivals to go there, to take the risk of attacking us. I am getting closer (of victory) but we do it day after day. I am more and more confident. The important thing, too, is that we have a great team. »
On Friday, the 19th stage of the Vuelta ended as planned with a massive sprint. However, things almost went wrong for Kaden Groves, winner of two stages and holder of the green jersey in the points classification. A little over a kilometer from the finish in Iscar, the Australian from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team miraculously escaped by avoiding being dragged into a big fall. “I admit that I am very luckyhe confided. I came at full speed on some downed riders in front of me and was able to jump off my bike without falling. »
The Italian Alberto Dainese was luckier and won his first stage of the Vuelta in a sprint, beating his compatriot Filippo Ganna. “I couldn’t find the opening at the start of the Vuelta and it’s good to finish like thisrecognized the rider from the DSM-Firmenich team, leaving for Tudor training next year. I was perfectly positioned, but there was a headwind and I let Ganna do his thing before overtaking him. »