Cycling: That was tight! But at the end of the 18th stage of the Vuelta a Espana, the escapees were able to hold their ground in front of the onrushing peloton. Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal) can therefore celebrate the greatest success of his career.
The sprinter teams gamble
Actually, everything went as usual: On the 186,1-kilometer flat stage from Ejea de los Caballeros to Lleida, a three-man lead group formed. The peloton had the breakaways under control throughout the race - you thought! But then everything turned out differently. While Jetse Bol (Burgos BH) the pace of his two colleagues Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal) and Sven Erik Bystrom (UAE Team Emirates) could no longer follow, panic slowly spread in the peloton. Although the leading group was never really left far behind, they still had a little more than a minute's lead with around ten kilometers to go. It should be tight. Damn tight. Because there were small gaps at the front of the peloton, so the Austrian Lukas Postlberger (Bora-hansgrohe) for its captain Peter Sagan a hole to sprint competitor Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors). The world champion attacked in the last 400 meters, but he could only get past the rear wheel of the two breakaways - but no longer. While Jelle Wallays beats Sven Erik Bytröm in the sprint, the sprint teams are angry in the background. Today they gambled away!
What a sensation! The peloton misrepresented itself in Jelle Wallays wins the stage! #LaVuelta18 pic.twitter.com/hTJXpqUEXn
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) September 13, 2018