Home > News

Wout Poels beats Evenepoel on the Vuelta’s penultimate stage

Red jersey Sepp Kuss untroubled on day before Madrid

September 16, 2023
Share on SMS

Wout Poels beat Remco Evenepoel in a five-man sprint to win Saturday’s penultimate stage of the 78th La Vuelta Ciclista a España. Poels has taken both of his career Grand Tour stage victories this season. Both riders were part of a large breakaway that faced 10 Cat. 3 climbs. The GC race is over–there was hardly a struggle on Saturday–and Sepp Kuss has one hand on the trophy, his first Grand Tour victory and Jumbo-Visma’s sweep of the 2023 Grand Tours with three different riders.

Kuss has one hand on the trophy, and Jumbo-Visma is poised to sweep the 2023 Grand Tours. Photo: Sirotti

The Course

Saturday was a festival of Cat. 3 climbs over 208 km. After leaving Manzanares El Real, the riders would assail their first two Cat. 3s before entering a circuit where they’d climb La Escondida, Alto de Santa María de la Alameda and Alto de Robledondo. After two laps they still had Puerto de la Cruz Verde to climb from the other side and finally Alto San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which peaked 16 km from the finish in Guadarrama.

Many riders tried to spring forth in the opening kilometers and failed, but when the breakaway formed, it was enormous. Thirty-one riders, including Evenepoel with three teammates, Poels, Marc Soler, Geraint Thomas, Romain Bardet and one-time red jersey Lenny Martinez scooted away. Evenepoel didn’t bother fighting for every KOM point as the platoon went up and down all day, since he was so far ahead in the competition already.

When the Evenepoel bunch left the circuit in the rain, it was 7:00 clear of the red jersey group. Soudal-QuickStep was the engine.

The penultimate climb, Puerto de la Cruz Verde, was more long than hard at 7.3 km of 3.8 percent. The breakaway reached its foot in pieces, and 20 riders descended together.

The final ascent, Alto San Lorenzo de El Escorial, was 4.5 km of 6.5 percent, but with some cobbles, narrow roads and very steep pitches. Poels attacked and this move seemed to find Evenepoel out. Lennert Van Eetvelt and Soler were able to go with Bahrain-Victorious’ Dutchman. Poels crested just ahead of Evenepoel.

Wout Poels on the attack on the Vuelta’s final climb.

Evenepoel came back on the descent and then dropped away from the others.

There was a three minute gap between third place Primož Roglič and fourth place Juan Ayuso, the top Spaniard. His compatriots Mikel Landa and Enric Mas were 19 and 30 seconds behind Ayuso respectively. Would the Spaniards scrap it out on the Vuelta’s final climb? There was a demonstration from Mas, but Jumbo-Visma wouldn’t allow anyone off the leash.

Evenepoel, Van Eetvelt, Poels, Soler and purple-clad Pelayo Sánchez of Burgos-BH would scrap it out for the day’s flowers. Poels took the advantage in the final curve and then held off the late-charging Belgian.

Sunday is the conclusion to the final Grand Tour of the season, as the riders will enjoy a procession into Madrid before nine 6-km laps.

78th La Vuelta Ciclista a España Stage 20
1) Wout Poels (The Netherlands/Bahrain-Victorious) 4:59:29
2) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) s.t.
3) Pelayo Sánchez (Spain/Burgos-BH) s.t.

78th La Vuelta Ciclista a España GC
1) Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) 74:23:42
2) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) +0:17
3) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) +1:08