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Roglic secures FOURTH stage win in the Vuelta but has to give final time trial to Küng; O'Connor keeps Mas at bay
CyclingSunday, 08 September 2024 at 22:15
Stefan Küng won the 21st stage of the Vuelta a España with a commanding performance. The Swiss rider from Groupama-FDJ was much faster than the rest in the time trial around Madrid. Primoz Roglic finished second, thus securing his fourth red jersey by the end. Ben O'Connor rode an excellent time trial and finished the Vuelta in second place, while Enric Mas joined him on the podium as the third-place finisher in this round.
So no sprint finish in Madrid, but instead an individual time trial of 24.6 kilometers for the powerhouses. Although the Spanish capital is relatively high—at least for a major city—the riders faced a mostly flat course. They started one by one at Distrito Teléfonica, the company that owns Movistar among other brands. This was in honor of the company's hundredth anniversary, which provided extra motivation for Enric Mas and his team.
The start of the time trial included some technical sections, but it was mostly straightforward to the finish. Near the end of the time trial, the riders passed the Prado Museum, with the finish line ultimately drawn on Gran Via. A time trial for the specialists, but how were their legs after three weeks of grueling racing? The two top favorites from the opening day were missing, as both Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) were involved in crashes.
Read more below the photo.
No Wout van Aert in the final time trial
Affini quickly outperformed by Campenaerts, Baroncini, and Küng
Without the two big names, the search was on for specialists who had a great opportunity to shine. Edoardo Affini thought he had a chance, but the Italian opted for deep wheels (like Van Aert at the Olympics), and it backfired like a boomerang. Affini's best time was soon surpassed by Victor Campenaerts, before the Belgian was again beaten by Mauro Schmid and Filippo Baroncini.
The real top time—such as those always present in a time trial—came from Küng. The Swiss rider from Groupama-FDJ outclassed the rest, finishing more than forty seconds ahead of Baroncini. Mattia Cattaneo settled in between, taking second place for Soudal-Quick Step, before the focus could shift to the GC contenders from the top ten.
Read more below the video
O'Connor silences Mas and Carapaz, Roglic remains untroubled
Carlos Rodriguez was the first INEOS Grenadiers rider to start. The Spaniard clearly didn’t have his best legs anymore and was already behind at the first checkpoint. Only fifth-placed David Gaudu and eighth-placed Mikel Landa performed worse. The other GC contenders were close to each other, with Ben O'Connor standing out as performing excellently. The Australian, who had spent two weeks in the red jersey and suffered in the mountains, silenced Enric Mas and Richard Carapaz in the fight for second place. At the first checkpoint, only Roglic performed better, being thirteen seconds behind Küng.
The standings remained the same at the second checkpoint. While Mas and Carapaz lost some time and Rodriguez found some extra strength, O'Connor and Roglic came through as sixth and fifth at the second checkpoint. The battle for the podium was thus decided, and in the fight for the top five, Mattias Skjelmose moved ahead of Gaudu. Carapaz defended his fourth place, and Roglic finished at a respectful distance from Küng. The day’s victory went to the Swiss rider, while Roglic secured his fourth overall win in the Vuelta for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe!
Results stage 21 Vuelta a España 2024
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Read back here LIVE stage 21 of the 2024 Vuelta a España
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024