Kruijswijk enjoys day of racing with three breakout phenomenons of this Vuelta: "It gives a great deal of satisfaction"

We hadn't seen much of Steven Kruijswijk in this Vuelta a España so far, but on day eighteen, the 37-year-old Dutchman suddenly appeared. Alongside Attila Valter, he was part of the breakaway of the day representing Visma | Lease a Bike, and Kruijswijk even managed to compete in the final. In that final, alongside the heroes of Equipo Kern Pharma, three more breakaway phenomenons of this Vuelta emerged again.

Kruijswijk had already tried once on day eleven of the Vuelta but finished nineteenth. On Thursday, after a day full of attacking spirit, he ended up in tenth place. "After all the bad luck, it’s nice to be competing for the win again," he says in a press release, referring to his crash in this year’s Dauphiné, which caused him to miss the Tour de France due to a small hip fracture. "It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to show myself here. After all the setbacks and the rehabilitation that comes with it, you sometimes start to doubt yourself. That’s why it feels good to be fully involved at this level again. I can be happy with this performance."

There was no stage win for Visma | Lease a Bike, but Kruijswijk and Valter did show some grit after the departure of Wout van Aert. "It was a stage where there were opportunities for the breakaway riders. Attila and I were at the front with forty others. After that, it was a matter of waiting for the crucial final climb. When the race exploded, I was fortunately able to follow. At the end, I chose the right moment to attack, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the legs to continue. It’s a shame, but as a team, we presented ourselves well."

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Schmid, Poole, and Soler keep attacking and performing

That Equipo Kern Pharma won the eighteenth stage with Urko Berrade was hardly a surprise anymore in this successful run for the Spanish team. Familiar names also took second and third places. Mauro Schmid once again showed himself to be exceptionally strong, but the Swiss rider from Jayco-AlUla is still waiting for the ultimate reward. "When we broke away with forty men and I was alone, I knew it would be tough. I attacked with Vacek and Küng, and that was a good situation, but ultimately Equipo Kern Pharma played it well with three riders. I couldn't respond to everyone on that last climb, unfortunately," he said.

Poole spoke in a press release from Team dsm-firmenich PostNL about another successful day. "We were with four, and it was great to fight for the win again. Of course, I want more, but it was a very tough day, and we rode great as a team. A third place is something we can be satisfied with." Also satisfied was another attacking force, Marc Soler, who finished eleventh but mainly collected mountain points, making him the leader in the mountain classification. "Equipo Kern Pharma is having a spectacular Vuelta; everything is going well for them. I was the only one from UAE Team Emirates in the breakaway, and I didn't have the best legs. I fought for the mountain points." Soler now has 57 mountain points, one more than his teammate Jay Vine.