Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) took a surprise victory on the final stage of the Vuelta a España, as Remco Evenepoel punched the air in the bunch behind, the last of three fresh-faced Grand Tour champions in 2022.
There was the usual leisurely run into town, interrupted only by a brief attack from Rohan Dennis until the Australian thought better of it. Then with little over 50 km to go, Alejandro Valverde was allowed off the front to enjoy the first town centre lap with only the adoring crowds for company.
Movistar’s day was not done when their elder statesman was regathered. With the UCI points system front of their minds, the Spanish outfit delivered Enric Mas to the intermediate sprint where he took maximum points, vaulting him up to third in the points classification, the last position which earns UCI points. Job done.
He wasn’t the only GC rider who was interested, though. After Thymen Arensman’s eleventh-hour rampage on stage 20, Carlos Rodríguez had slipped down the standings, but still had a tantalising one-second deficit to sixth overall. The Ineos Grenadiers could not resist the temptation to snatch back some time in the bonus sprint, but it wasn’t to be thanks to the combined motivations of Mas and Arensman’s Team DSM.
With the sprint out of the way, there was a volley of attacks until Julius Johansen (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) and Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) found a gap. The pair broke free with around 45 km to go and were kept on a pretty short leash, but the technicality of the circuit definitely worked more in their favour than that of the desperate peloton.
Johansen and Plapp must have dared to hope as their advantage held going into the last 3 km, but UAE Team Emirates and Alpecin-Deceuninck were able to put the final nail in the coffin of the Vuelta’s last breakaway, making the catch with 900 metres to go.
UAE Team Emirates seemed in complete control in the finishing straight, Marc Soler even playing a role early in the leadout. With Tim Merlier nowhere to be seen, Mads Pedersen identified a good wheel, but even Pascal Ackermann wasn’t able to come out of his teammate’s slipstream, ultimately taking third in a UAE sandwich with the green jersey in the middle. For Molano, it’s a first WorldTour victory for the quietly prolific Colombian.
The obligatory end-of-term class photo.
With Rodríguez’s last-minute attempt to climb the rankings neutralised, it was ‘as you were’ for the GC contenders, who just had to make it through the last 96.7 km of the race.
More to come…
La Vuelta ciclista a España (2.UWT)
Las Rozas → Madrid
