Higuita wins Vuelta Stage 18 as Roglic extends overall lead

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, September 13, 2019
Adjust font size:

MADRID, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sergio Higuita (Education First) took a deserved win in the 18th stage of the Vuelta de Espana cycle race on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Colombian climber was able to escape from the group of favorites on the last of four first category climbs on the 177 kilometers stage in the mountains to the north of Madrid and was able to hold on to a lead of 40 seconds during a breakneck descent of the Puerto de Navacerrada and on to the finish line at Berecil de la Sierra.

Although Higuita was visibly tiring in the final meters his lead was enough to see him home by 15 seconds ahead of a group made up of overall race leader Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) and Rafal Maijka (Bora Hansgrohe).

The stage was well managed by Roglic's team, who were able to give him a lot of protection until the last kilometers of the final climb of the day. Roglic was then able to stick to Valverde's wheel for the closing kilometers of the stage with few problems.

A good day for the Slovenian got better in the final meters as he beat Valverde in the sprint to add a couple of seconds time bonus to take his overall lead to 2 minutes and 50 seconds

Valverde, in turn, followed Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) whose aggressive riding saw him take the white jersey for the best young rider, while also closing the gap on Naro Quintana, who dropped from second to third in the standings after struggling on the last climb.

Friday's stage is a relatively flat stage between Avila to Toledo, which looks designed for a bunch sprint finish, although expected crosswinds means that teams will have to be careful in order to avoid splits in the main peloton similar to those seen on Wednesday. Enditem

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter