MADRID: Thymen Arensman rode away from the remains of a breakaway to win on the tough climb up the Sierra Nevada on Sunday while Remco Evenepoel lost more of his Vuelta lead.
Evenepoel, who cracked at the end of Saturday’s stage losing 52 seconds of his advantage, again could not keep up with his main rivals at the end of the final climb.
The Belgian still took heart from losing only 15 seconds to second-place Slovenian Primoz Roglic on 152.6km stage 15 which ended at 2,513m, the highest altitude of the Vuelta. “Really happy!
I lost almost nothing.” said Evenepoel who rides for Quick Step. He added that Saturday had been a bad day but “today was better.” Arensman, a 22-year-old Dutchman with DSM, was part of a large breakaway which splintered on the final climb. “I can’t believe it, the Queen stage on the Vuelta,” said Arensman, at 1.90m unusually tall for a climber. “Sierra Nevada on altitude.