Home > News

Evenepoel hangs tough on Vuelta’s penultimate stage, Carapaz wins hat trick of stages

Remco will be first Belgian to win Spanish Grand Tour since 1977

September 10, 2022
Share on SMS

Remco Evenepoel will win the 2022 Vuelta a España, with only Sunday’s procession into Madrid to go. The Belgian is poised to be the youngest Vuelta winner since Angelino Soler in 1961. Saturday’s penultimate stage didn’t exactly launch fireworks in the mountains and he wasn’t tested. Richard Carapaz claimed the King of the Mountains title with class, winning his third stage victory.

You can watch the final stage of the 77th Vuelta a España at FloBikes.

The Course

It was time for the last of the mountains, with five categorized climbs distributed evenly along 181 km. The final ascent, Cat. 1 Puerto de Cotos, was mild in grade and peaked 9 km from the finish in Puerto de Navacerrada.

It was the kind of parcours and situation that would elicit another immense breakaway. Sure enough a monster got loose on the first climb, Cat. 1 Puerto de Navacerrada, with Robert Stannard tipping over first. Carapaz was included and 11th place Louis Meintjes was the highest escapee on GC. On the way to Puerto de Navafría, the second climb, Stage 5 winner Marc Soler and Stannard powered away from their breakmates.

When Stannard crested Navacerrada in the lead, he was within 14 KOM points of Carapaz’s blue polka dot jersey.

Between Navacerrada and Cat. 2 Puerto de Canencia, Thibaut Pinot and the Umlaut Brothers Gino Mäder (Switzerland) and Gregor Mühlberger (Austria) bridged over to the Spaniard and Australian. But the Meintjes chase absorbed them on the Canencia. Carapaz took three KOM points, so the competition was pretty much over.

Jai Hindley’s 10th place was in danger from Meintjes, and his Bora-Hansgrohe team had been pulling the peloton for a couple of hours. Other teams took over on the descent of Canencia.

The breakaway, now 26 strong, started the penultimate climb, Cat. 1 Puerto de la Morcuera, with a 3:30 lead. Movistar took over from Quick Step in the red jersey group.

Movistar grabbed the reins on the penultimate climb of the penultimate stage.

Movistar’s pace fragmented the red jersey group. Fifth-place Carlos Rodriguez, nursing crash injuries, fell back, putting João Almeida in a position to move up. Enric Mas accelerated and Evenepoel was his match. But an elite selection was made.

Up ahead Meinjtes, Carapaz and Sergio Hinguita were running free, with Alejandro Valverde, Mäder and eight others chasing.

The Last Categorized 2022 Grand Tour Climb

Puerto de Cotos was 10.5 km of 5.6 percent–nothing to make anyone quiver with worry. Meintjes-Carapaz-Higuita started up with a 50-second gap over Valverde’s group and 2:15 over the red jersey bunch. Carapaz fired up the road but Higuita found his wheel.

Movistar swept up their man Valverde. Angel Lopez tried to dislodge the man above him in the GC, Juan Ayuso. Suddenly, Carapaz and Higuita’s bid for the stage win looked doomed.

Almeida drives the red jersey group up the Vuelta’s final climb.

The catch of Higuita came on the false flat soon after Carapaz took the maximum points, but the Ecuadorian forged on. Carapaz staved off a late surge from Stage 15 winner Thymen Arensman, who, like Almeida, stepped over Rodriguez in the GC.

Sunday is the final day, a procession into Madrid ending in a sprint.

2022 Vuelta a España Stage 20
1) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers) 4:41:34
2) Thymen Arensman (The Netherlands/DSM) +0:08
3) Juan Ayuso (Spain/UAE-Emirates) +0:13

2022 Vuelta a España GC
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl) 78:00:12
2) Enric Mas (Spain/Movistar) +2:05
3) Juan Ayuso (Spain/UAE-Emirates) +5:08
4) Angel Lopez (Colombia/Astana) +5:56
5) João Almeida (Portugal/UAE-Emirates) +7:16
6) Thymen Arensman (The Netherlands/DSM) +7:56
7) Carlos Rodriguez (Spain/Ineos) +7:57
8) Ben O’Connor (Australia/AG2R-Citroën) +10:30
9) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/EF Education-Easypost) +11:04
10) Jai Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +12:01