On fire: Tadej Pogačar wins for the third time in four days
Who can stop the Slovenian ace?
Tadej Pogačar can’t stop winning. On Thursday, the Slovenian took his third victory in four days (Tuesday he had off), reinforcing the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol lead he seized on Wednesday with the Stage 1 triumph. On Monday he took the “Spanish Strade Bianche”, Jaén Paraiso Interior. He’s 100 percent for 2023; the gauntlet has been thrown down.
The Course
Thursday’s route was 156 km from Diezma to Alcala la Real. Two Cat 3 climbs came in the first two thirds of the parcours before a crucial Cat. 2 peaking 23 km from the finish line. The final, partially-cobbled kilometre was a real ramp of 11.5 percent.
#69RdS ??
A downhill start then climbing for stage 2 at @VCANDALUCIA ?? pic.twitter.com/0VoEy8z29d
— Team Jayco AlUla (@GreenEDGEteam) February 16, 2023
A nine-man escape toodled away, with Gotzon Martín of Euskaltel–Euskadi sopping up enough KOM points on the Cat. 3 ascents to take the climber’s jersey at the end of the day. Pogačar’s UAE-Emirates pulled the peloton.
When the breakaway was within hailing distance, first Mikel Landa and then Pogacar accelerated, drawing Enric Mas, Carlos Rodriguez and Santiago Buitrago, so that the top-4 on GC were all present. Landa’s pace whittled down the group before the showdown in the final kilometre.
A few chaps tried to burst free before the cobbled climb to no avail
#69RdS ?? – ? 3 km
Attack Rota! Hart, Majka & Caruso just bridged towards the front group! #DomestiqueLive pic.twitter.com/jyGIi7zPUc
— Domestique (@Domestique___) February 16, 2023
Enric Mas and Pogačar went clear on the steepest part of the climb and then the two-time Tour de France champ dispatched the Movistar for this week’s natural hat trick.
Canada’s Hugo Houle was 40th on Wednesday and 109th on Thursday.
2023 Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol, Stage 2
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) 3:40:10
2) Enric Mas (Spain/Movistar) +0:04
3) Santiago Buitrago (Colombia/Bahrain-Victorious) s.t.
109) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +15:36
2023 Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol GC
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) 8:44:19
2) Santiago Buitrago (Colombia/Bahrain-Victorious) +0:48
3) Mikel Landa (Spain/Bahrain-Victorious) +0:52
66) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +20:44
