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Primož Roglič wins third consecutive Vuelta a España title

Slovenians have now earned five of the last seven Grand Tours

September 5, 2021
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Primož Roglič claimed his third Vuelta a España crown in a row on Sunday, matching the feats of Roberto Heras (2003-2005) and Tony Rominger (1992-1994). Roglič won his fourth stage of the 76th edition, a long time trial in Santiago de Compostela, catching his closest rival Enric Mas, who started two minutes ahead of the Slovenian. It was the Roglič’s ninth career Vuelta stage triumph. Canada’s James Piccoli came 113th to give him 86th on GC.

The Course
Sunday was a proper chrono of nearly 34 km over rolling terrain in Galicia. Just like the 76th Vuelta was bookended with time trials, the start and finish on the race were at cathedrals. The two time checks were at 13 km and 24.5 km marks.

Most of the gaps in the top-10 of the general classification were big enough to ensure riders their places, but there was only a minute between Jack Haig and Adam Yates for the final podium spot. Further down, Guillaume Martin had to be wary of the eight seconds between his eighth place and David de la Cruz’s ninth. Finally, Felix “Three S” Grossschartner (Austria/Bora-Hansgrohe) had to ward off former red jersey Odd Christian Eiking for tenth.

The last man in the GC, Czech Josef Cerny (Deceuninck-QuickStep) clocked 45:18 and many expected him to sit in the hot seat until Roglič entered Santiago de Compostela’s famous cathedral square. But triple stage winner Magnus Cort took the lead and assumed the leader’s throne for hours. Cerny would just miss the day’s podium, thwarted by surprise package Thyman Arensmen (The Netherlands/DSM).

Haig successfully staved off Yates, actually increasing his lead, and Grossschartner’s top-10 performance kept him in his place. De la Cruz not only jumped Martin, but also Sepp Kuss.

Bahrain-Victorious provided the two surprises in the upper reaches of the GC: Australian Haig, in his first season with the squad, earned his first Grand Tour podium, and Swiss rider Gino Mäder, also new to the outfit, came in fifth while taking the young rider’s white jersey. The squad took the team classification honours. In 2021 Grand Tours only Jumbo-Visma, Ineos and Bahrain-Victorious had representation in the GC top-10 of all three races.

Gino Mäder. Who was Bahrain-Victorious’ biggest 2021 Grand Tour surprise: Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig or Mäder? Photo: Sirotti

Sunday was also Fabio Aru’s last day as a pro. The 31-year-old Italian was the 2015 Vuelta champion, the same year he was runner-up in the Giro d’Italia. From 2014 to 2017 he was in the top-5 of five Grand Tours. Addio, Fabio.

Aru bows out after 10 years as a pro. Photo: Sirotti


2021 Vuelta a España Stage 21
1) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) 44:02
2) Magnus Cort (Denmark/EF Education-Nippo) +0:14
3) Thyman Arensmen (The Netherlands/DSM) +0:52
113) James Piccoli (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +6:22

2021 Vuelta a España Final GC
1) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) 83:55:29
2) Enric Mas (Spain/Movistar) +4:42
3) Jack Haig (Australia/Bahrain-Victorious) +7:40
4) Adam Yates (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers) +9:06
5) Gino Mäder (Switzerland/Bahrain-Victorious) +11:33
6) Egan Bernal (Colombia/Ineos Grenadiers) +13:27
7) David de la Cruz (Spain/UAE-Emirates) +18:33
8) Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) +18:55
9) Guillaume Martin (France/Cofidis) +20:27
10) Felix Grossschartner (Austria/Bora-Hansgrohe) +22:22
86) James Piccoli (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +3:52:52