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Primoz Roglic (file pic). Imago/PA Images
as it stands

Primoz Roglic surges to Vuelta victory, Dan Martin remains third overall

The Slovenian’s third win in this year’s race earned him a 10 seconds bonus.

PRIMOZ ROGLIC surged away from the pack at the finish of the 10th stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Suances on Friday to take the race lead from Richard Carapaz.

The Slovenian’s third victory in this year’s race earned him a 10 seconds bonus, which erased Ecuadorian Carapaz’s slim lead. 

The two men are level on overall time, but Roglic will take over the leader’s red jersey when the race heads into the mountains on Saturday.

Irish rider Dan Martin of Israel Start Up Nation is third, 25 seconds behind the leaders, after a seventh-place finish today.

Meanwhile, after his dramatic day yesterday, there was more disappointment for Sam Bennett, as he finished last out of 157 riders.

Roglic is the defending Vuelta champion while Carapaz won last year’s Giro d’Italia.

“We are about the same age, he is one year younger than me, he is as strong as me”, Roglic said after the finish on Friday.

The main contenders were all together in the pack as it neared the end of a flat 185km ride along the coast of the Bay of Biscay from Castro Urdiales.

On a small climb that led to the finish, Roglic, of Jumbo-Visma burst clear, surging past Felix Grossschartner and Italian Andrea Bagioli and building a small gap in a few hundred metres to the finish.

Roglic picked up the 10-second bonus for winning and also gained his reward for shattering the peloton when Carapaz crossed the line three seconds behind. 

The weekend brings two brutal days in the mountains with four first category climbs and four climbs on Sunday culminating on the fearsome Angliru.

“Now we are talking about seconds but everyone who knows the Angliru,” said Roglic’s teammate George Bennett. 

“If you are having a bad day you’re talking about minutes.”

Stage results:

1. Primoz Roglic (SLO/JUM) 4hrs 14min 11sec. 2. Felix Grossschartner (AUT/BOR)  s.t., 3. Andrea Bagioli (ITA/DEC) s.t.,  4. Alex Aranburu (ESP/AST) s.t., 5. Robert Stannard (AUS/MIT) s.t., 6. Julien Simon (FRA/TDE) s.t., 7. Daniel Martin (IRL/ICA), 8. Guillaume Martin (FRA/COF)  s.t., 9. Jasper Philipsen (BEL/UAE) at 3sec, 10. Magnus Cort Nielsen (DEN/EF1) s.t. 

Selected:  

12. Wouter Poels (NED/BAH) s.t., 14. Richard Carapaz (ECU/Ineos) s.t., 16. Enric Mas (ESP/MOV) s.t.,  23. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) s.t., 24. Esteban Chaves (COL/MIT) s.t., 29. Hugh Carthy (GBR/EF1) 10 sec, 31. Marc Soler (ESP/MOV) 15. 157. Sam Bennett (IRL/DEC) 12.51 sec. 

Overall:

1. Primoz Roglic (SLO/JUM) 40hrs 25min 15sec,  2. Richard Carapaz (ECU/Ineos) s.t., 3. Daniel Martin (IRL/ICA) at 25 sec, 4. Hugh Carthy (GBR/EF1) 51, 5. Enric Mas (ESP/MOV) 1min 54sec, 6. Felix Grossschartner (AUT/BOR) 3:19, 7. Esteban Chaves (COL/MIT) 3:28,  8. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 3:35, 9. Wouter Poels (NED/BAH) 3:47, 10. Marc Soler (ESP/MOV) 3:52

© – AFP, 2020

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