Wearing the best climber’s jersey this Sunday on stage 2 of the Vuelta a España, as there wasn’t an official leader following the opening time trial, Stefan Küng clearly got a taste for the blue polka dots. So much so that in the final towards Ourém, the Swiss rider collected two points in the mountains classification, which was enough to ensure he would wear the jersey for another day. On the attack beforehand with Kevin Geniets, he was unable to prevent the bunch sprint, in which he took 17th place. Another bunch finish seems likely on Monday in Castelo Branco.
With few opportunities on the line for the sprinters in this 2024 Vuelta, there was no doubt that the second stage from Cascais to Ourém would be quite controlled this Sunday. The terrain was far from flat and easy, but only two riders, Luis Angel Maté and Iban Ruiz, were willing to join the breakaway. “It was a calm day at first with the headwind,” added Stefan Küng, wearing the mountain’s jersey by proxy following his fourth place in the time trial the day before. “The plan today was to spend the quietest day possible, not to take unnecessary risks and to stay focused in the final,” explained Thierry Bricaud. The peloton easily took care of keeping the leading duo under control and caught them without too much struggle about fifty kilometres from the finish. Then came the slightly hilly final, with a progressive ascent to the Alto de Batalha, located twenty kilometres from the finish. “Approaching the last KOM, it was a terrain where there could be some fighting, and the guys were aggressive,” Thierry said. “The attacks weren’t really planned; it was more a question of opportunity with the fact that there were no breakaway. Stefan and Kevin wanted to try, in case a group of 8-10 riders went away, which was possible. It didn’t happen, but they seized the opportunity.”
“A nice reward,” Thierry Bricaud
After they attacked behind two other men, the Luxembourger and the Swiss man kept on pushing for a few moments, but the peloton made the effort immediately, seeing the danger of this attempt. “I felt very good, and when it started to move a bit towards the end, I first wanted to launch Kevin,” Stefan explained. “I saw that nobody was following behind me, so I continued, thinking “we never know”. We wanted to be attentive in the final, but it also depends on the other teams, and some guys didn’t want to collaborate”. Everything came back together quite quickly, but the Swiss rider showed himself a few minutes later. “I saw that there was no longer a breakaway, and thanks to my good overall ranking, I could take the best climber’s jersey if I passed first at the top, so I took advantage of it”, he said. “It’s a nice reward”, added Thierry. “He had the jersey by proxy, now he really has it. It’s a good start for us, and it boosts everyone’s morale”. The pack then headed towards the anticipated sprint, and the latter did happen despite a few crashes. Kaden Groves claimed victory. “I also wanted to get involved in the sprint, but I got a bit boxed in and I waited a bit too long,” said Stefan, sixteenth on the line. “It was possible to do better.”
The time trial specialist still climbed onto the podium to take the polka dots’ jersey, which will be put back into play tomorrow. “There’s a good chance that it will be a bunch sprint again,” Thierry said. “The goal will be the same as today: stay attentive, focused and not get caught out.”
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