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Fabio Jakobsen Wins His Third Stage at La Vuelta

By Monica Buck

It was difficult for Deceuninck – Quick-Step to control the finale but they still managed to come out on top in the end. And thus Jakobsen confirmed the position of the best sprinter at this year’s La Vuelta.

The newly revised competition for the Škoda Green Jersey favours sprinters over the GC riders and Fabio Jakobsen now sits in more than a comfortable lead. With no more sprint finishes in the final week, all Jakobsen has to do to win the points competition is to finish. He would be the first sprinter to win the Škoda Green Jersey since John Degenkolb in 2014. Since then, the winners have been mostly GC riders, claiming the points classification as a by-product.

Meanwhile, in the GC battle, Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) is still in the lead. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) is trailing 54 seconds in second place and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) sits in third with a 1:36 gap. However, there are others who might still have a say in the race.

“I would like [to attack Roglič]. I have nothing to lose, I don’t care to be fifth or 10th in the overall,“ Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) said. The Colombian is now seventh, trailing 4:21 on Odd Christian Eiking. And his teammate Adam Yates sits in eighth, 13 seconds behind Bernal. Will they go for it together?

We shall see very soon.

La Vuelta 2021
Jakobsen now sits in more than a comfortable lead. © Profimedia

Stage 16 results

  1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – 4:08:57
  2. Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe)
  3. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates)
  4. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange)
  5. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM)
  6. Jon Aberasturi (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
  7. Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates)
  8. Riccardo Minali (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux)
  9. Antonio Soto (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
  10. Clément Venturini (Ag2r-Citroën Team)

Points Classification after stage 16

  1. Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – 250 pts
  2. Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) – 123 pts
  3. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education – Nippo) – 114 pts

General classification after stage 16

  1. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) – 64:06:47
  2. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) + 54s
  3. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) + 1:36
  4. Enric Mas (Movistar) + 2:11
  5. Miguel Ángel López (Movistar) + 3:04
  6. Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) + 3:35
  7. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) + 4:21
  8. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) + 4:34
  9. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) + 4:59
  10. Felix Großschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) + 5:31