The route for the 2019 La Vuelta a Espana has been arranged for climbers. After a nice, easy, flat route for Saturday’s team time trial opener, the climbing started immediately on Sunday, but the decisive action came only in the final 10 km.
A breakaway group of six men – all fine climbers – including Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran from Colombia, Nicholas Roche (IRL), Primoz Roglic (SLO), Fabio Aru (ITA) and Mikel Nieve (ESP) – broke away from the pack with about 10 km remaining, mostly on the decent into Calpe. But Quintana moved again with 3 km left and no one could keep up.
He won the stage – his third career in La Vuelta – with Roche and Roglic closest at the finish, but five seconds behind. Roche, based on his team’s better performance in the time trial, wears the red jersey for Monday’s hilly stage into Alicante. The next mountain stage comes Wednesday.
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If you win three stages in a four-stage race, you’re in pretty good shape to win the overall title and that’s just what Dutch star Marianne Vos did at the Ladies Tour of Norway.
Three of the four races turned out to be mass sprints, but Vos was best on the crucial stage 3, which had a modest uphill finish. She took advantage and win decisively, five seconds ahead of American Coryn Rivera and 11 seconds in front of Canada’s Leah Kirchmann, who finished 2-3 in the overall standings.
Dutch riders have now won five of the six Ladies Tour of Norway editions, with Vos winning the last three. It was Vos’s third win of this season and first in a stage race. With the overall victory and wins in three stages, she vaults over countrywoman Annemiek van Vleuten into the overall Women’s World Tour lead with four races remaining in the season. Vos finished second last year to van Vleuten, but now has a chance to win the seasonal trophy.
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At the Euroeyes Cyclassics in Hamburg (GER), Italy’s Elia Viviani won his third race of the World Tour season and his third straight Cyclassics Hamburg with a final sprint set up by his Deceuninck-Quick Step teammate Michael Morkov (DEN).
An early break away on the 216.0 km route was reeled in on the final climb up the Waseberg and the sprinters tried to maneuver for position close to the finish. Morkov sprinted out in the final 200 m and led Viviani to a clear path to the finish. Australia’s Caleb Ewan was second and Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo third. Summaries:
UCI World Tour/La Vuelta a Espana
Spain ~ 24 August-15 September 2019
(Full results here)
Stage 1 (13.4 km Team Time Trial): 1. Astana (KAZ), 14:51; 2. Deceuninck-Quick Step (BEL), 14.53; 3. Team Sunweb (GER), 14:56; 4. EF Education First (USA), 14:58; 5. Bora-hansgrohe (GER), 15:04.
Stage 2 (199.6 km): 1. Nairo Quintana (COL), 5:11:17; 2. Nicholas Roche (IRL), 5:11:22; 3. Primoz Roglic (SLO), 5:11:22; 4. Rigoberto Uran (COL), 5:11:22; 5. Fabio Aru (ITA), 5:11:22.
UCI World Tour/EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg
Hamburg (GER) ~ 25 August 2019
(Full results here)
Final Standings (216.0 km): 1. Elia Viviani (ITA), 4:47:26; 2. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:27:26; 3. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA), 4:47:26; 4. Alexander Kristoff (NOR), +4:47:26; 5. Mike Teinissen (NED), 4:47:26; 6. Peter Sagan (SVK), 4:47:26; 7. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 4:47:26; 8. Arnaud Demare (FRA), 4:47:26; 9. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA), 4:47:26; 10. Oliver Naesen (BEL), 4:47:26.
UCI Women’s World Tour/Ladies Tour of Norway
Norway ~ 22-25 August 2019
(Full results here)
Final Standings: 1. Marianne Vos (NED), 3:52:54; 2. Coryn Rivera (USA), +0:29; 3. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), +0:41; 4. Kasia Niewiadoma (POL), +0:41; 5. Lorena Wiebes (NED), +0:42; 6. Foortje Mackaij (NED), +0:45; 7. Marta Bastianelli (ITA), +0:52; 8. Christine Majerus (LUX), +0:55; 9. Riejanne Markus (NED), +1:00; 10. Hanna Nilsson (SWE), +1:00. Also in the top 25: 12. Ruth Winder (USA), +1:02.
Stage winners:
(1) 128.0 km ~ Lorena Wiebes (NED): 3:16.27
(2) 133.6 km ~ Marianne Vos (NED): 3:19.33
(3) 125.2 km ~ Marianne Vos (NED): 3:24:20
(4) 156.2 km ~ Marianne Vos (NED), 3:52:54.