Second Sprint – Second Win

A little over an hour ago the fifth stage of the Spanish tour ended — by its profile it was supposed to be the second sprint stage.

In the first section, in bad weather, a workable breakaway couldn’t get away.

Only two, Portugal’s Tiago Machado and France’s Julien Morice, managed to slip away from the peloton, which today clearly had no intention of gifting the stage to the escapees.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
Peloton
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

Sprint chances at this tour can be counted on one hand, and such teams are a great relief for those fighting for the general classification, because they are the ones controlling the stage. They let the escapees go to a controlled distance and took turns chasing. On top of that, Tiago and Julien couldn’t work together — Julien clearly didn’t believe in their chances. That’s logical too: a two-man group practically has no chance against several sprinters’ teams. Katusha decided on a show of strength, and Machado carried on alone, turning it into an almost 50-kilometer individual time trial.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
MACHADO Tiago Jose Pinto (POR) Katusha
MORICE Julien (FRA) Direct Energie
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

In the final part of the race the peloton of course caught him, and the stage’s final, decisive section began, which was planned to be technically very demanding.

Here, for the second time at the Vuelta, the former world champion and reigning Belgian champion, winner of five stages of the Spanish tour and multiple Monuments, Philippe Gilbert, tested his legs. PhilGil apparently thought of using these difficult technical bends, but the attack was clearly premature, and together with fellow attacker Simon Clarke he couldn’t escape the sprinters.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
GILBERT Philippe (BEL) BMC
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

Here everyone has their own task: the sprinters fight for finishing positions, the greats to reach the finish unharmed. The final kilometers showed the nature of a Grand Tour once again. In the relentless race there were two serious crashes, as a result of which one of the second-tier favorites, whom I hadn’t mentioned so far — LottoNL-Jumbo’s leader Steven Kruijswijk, who made so much noise at this year’s Giro — left the Vuelta injured.

22 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 03 : Marin – Dumbria, Mirador de Ezaro
KRUIJSWIJK Steven (NED) Lotto NL – Jumbo
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

He crashed at the Giro too, but there he was in the leader’s position and was able to continue the race. The Vuelta didn’t go well for him from the start; let’s wish him a quick return.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
STYBAR Zdenek (CZE) Etixx – Quickstep
FROOME Christopher (GBR) Sky
SANCHEZ Samuel (ESP) BMC
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

The final sprint again went under the dominance of Belgium’s Etixx–Quick-Step: Czech Zdeněk Štybar again worked brilliantly and delivered the team’s main force, third-generation rider Belgian Gianni Meersman, to the winning position, and he again didn’t let the team down and won for the second time at this year’s Vuelta.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
1st : MEERSMAN Gianni (BEL) Etixx – Quickstep
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

Notably, this is only Gianni’s second Grand Tour triumph, even though this is the eighth such tour he has ridden; overall, it’s the twentieth professional win of his career.

The red jersey stayed with Colombia’s Darwin Atapuma, who has held it for the first time at this year’s Vuelta.

24 August 2016
71st Vuelta a Espana
Stage 05 : Viveiro – Lugo
ATAPUMA John Darwin (COL) BMC, Leader of the General Classification
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA

Tomorrow’s stage is hillier than today’s; although we can’t call it a mountain stage, the sprinters will probably have less of a chance.

Featured image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

Inside post thumbnail image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

Special thanks to the Japanese photographer Yuzuru SUNADA for permission to use his works in our publications.

Translated from Georgian with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic), reviewed by the Velorbola editors.