{"id":196622,"date":"2024-08-26T08:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T08:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=196622"},"modified":"2024-08-26T08:33:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T08:33:23","slug":"oconnor-leads-vuelta-as-yates-wins-first-big-mountain-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2024\/08\/26\/oconnor-leads-vuelta-as-yates-wins-first-big-mountain-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019Connor Leads Vuelta as Yates Wins First Big Mountain Stage with Long Solo Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam Yates single-handedly revived the GC fortunes of UAE Team Emirates, after teammate Jo\u00e3o Almeida was forced to abandon the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a because of Covid, by winning Sunday\u2019s stage 9 with a magisterial solo ride of more than 68km.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Yates dropped his sole remaining riding companion, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), on the first of two ascents of the fearsome Alto de Hazallanas (7.1km@9.6%, with ramps of up to 20%), with 68.2km left to ride in the 178.5km course from Motril to Grenada. He was allowed to pursue his solo ride by the peloton and the leading GC riders, so that his lead over what remained of the bunch had ballooned to 6:45 when the peloton reached the final\u00a0 ascent.<\/p>\n

At the end his margin of victory over O\u2019Connor and the other GC contenders had shrunk to 3:45, but that did not spoil his celebration of only his second Grand Tour stage victory, which he said was the hardest race of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never suffered like this before,\u201d he told Eurosport. \u201cIt was so hot out there. From the last climb I was cramping and I didn\u2019t know if I could go. I\u2019ve had a lot of bad luck in Grand Tours over the years and I really didn\u2019t know if I could make it, but I\u2019m just so happy I could finally win another Grand Tour stage.”<\/p>\n

The stage featured some 4,500m of altitude gained and temperatures of about 36\u00b0C (97\u00b0F). Most of the first week of this Vuelta has been run in extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 40\u00b0C (104\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

At the start of the stage, Yates had been far down in the GC rankings, sitting 27th, 9:27 behind the surprise race leader, Ben O\u2019Connor (AG2R Decathlon La Mondiale), but after the stage he had risen to seventh, only 5:30 down. But he said that improving his GC standing was not his motivation. \u201cIt was all about the stage. I was just going full gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yates was allowed to have the race mostly his own way because he was not considered a GC threat. As O\u2019Connor put it, \u201cWe let him in the break today [because] he wasn\u2019t someone we had on our absolute-must on the radar. Credit to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor now leads the red jersey standings by 3:53 over former red jersey leader Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d (Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013Hansgrohe), with Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) \u2013 who went on a long solo ride of his own \u2013 in third, at 4:32. The big loser of Sunday\u2019s stage was defending Vuelta champion Sepp Kuss (Visma\u2013Lease a Bike), who was dropped early on the second ascent of the\u00a0 Hazallanas and finished 5:35 behind Yates. He now trails O\u2019Connor by 8:16.<\/p>\n

Rogli\u010d, the pre-race favorite, encountered his first moments of weakness in this Vuelta on stage 9 as he neither attacked O\u2019Connor nor was able to react to the attack of Enric Mas (Movistar) on the second Hazallanas ascent. \u201cI clearly didn\u2019t have the legs,” the three-time Vuelta champion said.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcf8 A selection of the best photos from stage 9\u20e3!<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude0d\u00a1Aqu\u00ed ten\u00e9is las mejores fotos de la etapa 9\u20e3!<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf2 M\u00e1s fotos \/ More photos on https:\/\/t.co\/rCn67bhPvE<\/a>#LaVuelta24<\/a> – \ud83d\udcf8 @cxcling<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZfrtaDbdVX<\/a><\/p>\n

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 25, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n