A big mess, nothing else can be said about it. stage of the Vuelta. It was supposed to be a sprinters' affair, but Roglic dropped the bomb by attacking sharply on the only climb. The time to realize it and also Evenepoel realized he had a flat tire, without the flagship car ever being seen arriving. And while the Belgian behind was phlegmatically waiting for the spare bike, in front the Slovenian was raising hell.
Fall in sprint
The only thing left to do was sprint to give a dimension to the advantage, when Roglic made contact with Wright and fell heavily to the ground. Grazes, blood and a dazed look.
Primoz is remained on the asphalt for an eternityThen he got up, while those he had dropped filed past him. He laboriously reached the finish line, trying to push the eleventh. Then he sat down on the ground again. He drank. And for a long time he gave the feeling of being in shock.
Jury at work
The jury took an equally eternity to rewrite the rankings. Having fallen in the last 3 kilometers, Roglic was credited with the tempo of the group he was in: that of the first. For the same reason, Evenepoel was timed with the first pursuers.
For which Roglic gained 8 seconds on the leader, but it's a safe bet that he would have preferred to maintain the gap from before, without getting hurt. Initial analyses exclude fractures, but such blows leave deep scars.And tomorrow we'll get there uphill.
«I was a little scared of the last five kilometers – says Evenepoel – We did the recce on the rest day and I knew the roads were really slipperyThe last three kilometers were very frenetic. On the descent, we even reached 90 km/h. It wasn't fun. I lost a few positions, then I discovered my rear tire was flat. I wasn't really looking at the miles, so I didn't know where I was in relation to the finish line. Anyway I'm glad the 3k rule exists, otherwise I would have wasted a lot of time today."
A little yellow group
Obviously there are no statements from Roglic and The team's press office has not yet provided any updates either.The fact is that when Evenepoel crossed the finish line, he noticed the group of Jumbo Visma riders in front of a barrier and he came over to look. Immediately understanding the extent of the problem.
«I saw that Primoz fell – he says – I hope he is well and can continue the raceAfter the finish line I saw him sitting on the ground. I asked him if he was okay, but he seemed a bit shocked by the accident and didn't respond immediately.
«I was expecting his attack. Everyone knows he's very explosive. The finale was made for him, even more than for Pedersen.The moment I heard he was attacking, I was pretty stressed. Only my sports director Klaas confirmed to me that they would enforce that rule. And then I calmed down a bit.'».
The night of doubts
Now attention turns to tomorrow's stage. Such a lively Roglic would have been a loose cannon, the risk now is that like in the Tour let it all end here.
«I hope he can leave – says Evenepoel – even if at first glance it didn't seem to be in very good shapeIt's no fun for him. Especially with the climbs coming up. The fall was similar to mine last week going downhillSuddenly you find yourself on the floor. Who knows, maybe he also lost concentration for a moment and the next moment you're in such a bad way..."
Then, after confirming that you are back close to a good condition, the leader of the Vuelta dedicated himself to the protocol formalities that take up his precious time every day. We will know during the night if there will be any news for the unfortunate Roglic and whether he'll be back at the start tomorrow morning or forced to throw in the towel again...
