189 kilometers were on the menu for the Vuelta a Espana peloton on today’s 17th stage starting in Calahorra cruising to Burgos and a duo consisting of Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) and Francisco Aramendia (Caja Rural) formed the long-lasting break of the day.
For the GC riders, it was all about staying at the front of the pack as several open cross wind sections and a few short but steep climbs were potential opportunities to split the field. Lampre took the reigns in the pack controlling the pace while Team Saxo-Tinkoff constantly were visible right behind. But with 30 kilometer to go, the Danish squad went to the front in a crosswind section and increased the pace significantly and the peloton exploded instantly.
The fierce pace quickly swept up the escapees while the overall fifth, Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R) and overall seventh, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) were caught behind. Saxo-Tinkoff continued to hold the massive pressure on the first group of about 40 riders.
In Burgos, a short but steep climb was first used as a catapult by Diego Ulissi (Lampre) who leaped away from the favourites but was caught with 6 kilometers to go. On the final kilometer, Bauke Mollema (Belkin) created the crucial gap and soloed his way to a stage win. Due to the massive Saxo-Tinkoff attack, Nicolas Roche moved up to overall 5th:
“It was a great stage for us and surprising the field like this is not an easy job, especially because we did the same thing during the Tour. It did cost a lot of energy but mentally it was hard for the riders to stay focused and to stay together waiting for the right moment to hit the gas. There’s reason to be prous and I think our riders will remember this day for a long time. But we’re not done trying. We will use every opportunity there is to help Nico (Roche) climb the GC,” said DS, Fabrizio Guidi.
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.