Attacks Soler was part of polka dot jersey pact, says Vine: "He helped very well"

Pavel Sivakov attempted to win the second-to-last and queen's stage of the Vuelta a España but ultimately finished twelfth on the steep sections of the Picón Blanco. In the overall ranking, however, he moved up one place at the expense of Carlos Rodríguez. Teammate Jay Vine also secured the mountain jersey, and UAE Team Emirates proudly takes the lead in the team classification.

After teammates Jay Vine and Marc Soler spent much of the stage on an adventure and secured the mountain jersey, Sivakov attacked the second-to-last climb. "I had to try from far away; after all, I am one of the toughest climbers here," he explains to Eurosport afterward. "On the steep percentages, I am disadvantaged, so I tried to anticipate. I was convinced I had a nice lead at the foot of the final climb, but it was tough. In the second part, I cracked, partly because of my previous efforts on the flat."

"I will keep fighting, though, and one day it will pay off," the rider refers to the lack of a stage win in a major tour on his palmares. Although hard riding was on the second-to-last climb, the favorites' attacks failed to materialize. "Nobody wanted to take risks, and everyone waited for the last climb,' Sivakov explained the course of the race. This allowed the favorites to save their strength in the flat stretch after the final climb, which the UAE rider said proved decisive in the finale. 'If you are in the wheel on the flat, you hardly have to push. It's like freewheeling. Soudal-Quick Step and BORA had several riders in the group. They kept the gap on me small, so I didn't make it in the end."

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Vine wins polka dot jersey with help from Soler

With a difference of two points over his teammate Soler, Vine pulled off the mountain classification. Although Soler's many attacks along the way suggested otherwise, the pre-arranged plan was to go for the mountain jersey with Vine. 'Yes, I talked to Marc about it during the rest day,' Vine told the flash interview. "It was an unfinished business, and Marc wanted to help me. With his attacks, he tired the other two riders going for the mountain points,' Vine refers to Pablo Castrillo, among others. 'Moreover, I was able to save my strength myself to start the final as fresh as possible, also given our lead in the team classification."

However, first-year pro Isaac Del Toro already secured the overall victory in the team classification. The Mexican finished 20th at the top of the Picón Blanco, making him the team's third rider. "It turned out that my result was unnecessary because Isaac finished ahead of me, but he helped very well, and his legs were super strong," Vine says, showing great gratitude towards Soler.

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