Stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana offered a bit of rest to the riders on Thursday. In Zaragoza, the expected bunch sprint did take place, after a relatively monotonous day. Juan Sebastian Molano took the victory and Sam Watson tried to get involved in the sprint (18th). The program, however, will be completely different on Friday with one of the Vuelta’s hardest stages, including three major climbs in the French Pyrenees, with the Col du Tourmalet as the grande finale. Lenny Martinez will start the day in fifth position overall while Rudy Molard will just try to “survive” after a crash this Thursday.
Before a very tough end of the week, the sprinters were expected this Thursday on the Vuelta a Espana. No climb featured on the 150 kilometres from Olvega to Zaragoza, and the fear of echelons quickly disappeared. “We were lucky today because there was a front wind for most of the day,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Fortunately, because the roads were very exposed, and a lot could have happened if the wind had blown in the other direction”. The day therefore unfolded in the most classic way possible, and only Jetse Bol (Burgos BH) and Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) were willing to form the day’s break. Kaden Groves’ Alpecin-Deceuninck left them no chance and the duo’s attempt even ended before the last forty kilometres. “It was a rather calm stage,” said Benoît. “That said, they still did 150 kilometres and it all counts and adds up.” The race got eventful in the last twenty kilometres, with the bonus sprint at first, then the preparation for the bunch finish.
“Rudy’s crash is the day’s big negative point”, Benoît Vaugrenard
No crash happened entering Zaragoza, but the fight for positions proved tough. On Thursday, Groupama-FDJ bet on Sam Watson, and the Briton talked through the last kilometres: “It was a really easy day, and so it led to a very chaotic finale. The guys did a good job of keeping me in a good position, but it got pretty chaotic, and I found myself too far back behind the chaos. The plan was to keep Lewis for the closing kilometres, but we had to use him a bit early and he did a great job of moving me up.” At the flamme rouge, the young man was able to sneak in the first fifteen positions of the bunch. However, the door did not stay open for long. “I was waiting for the sprint to open in front of me, but UAE came around on the outside, and at that point, I was a little swamped,” said Sam. “It’s a shame because positioning was good, but the wave coming from behind was fatal to him and he got blocked,” added Benoît. Consequently, Sam Watson was unable to properly sprint and crossed the line in eighteenth position. “It’s frustrating, but that’s how it is,” he concluded.
As for Lenny Martinez, he crossed the line within the main pack and kept his fifth place in the general classification. Alongside the young climber until the end, Rudy Molard, on the other hand, had a difficult day after a crash in the first part of the stage. “This is the day’s big negative point, because Rudy is a very important rider in our squad, especially for Lenny,” explained Benoît. “His ribs hurt. The x-rays did not reveal any fracture, but we will see tomorrow. We hope he can get through the day, but it will for sure be complicated for him.” On Friday, the stage will certainly only be 134 kilometres long, but it will include the Col d’Aubisque and the Col de Spandelles before the legendary Col du Tourmalet. “It’s a tough program, one of the most intense stages with one of the greatest elevation gains,” added Benoît. “We expect a hard start and a big fight because some teams want to isolate Evenepoel.”
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