La Vuelta 2022: 'We are happy to get out of here' - Riders criticise 'very nervous' start in Netherlands

23.08.2022 - 14:45 eurosport.com

Alejandro Valverde, Mikel Landa and Wilco Kelderman have all criticised the start to the 2022 Vuelta a Espana, suggesting that the route was too narrow and technical to accommodate such a large peloton.

Three weeks of racing at the final Grand Tour of the year commenced with three days in the Netherlands, incorporating a team time-trial and two pan-flat sprinting days which provided few stern tests as Sam Bennett took back-to-back wins.

Ad Despite this, some of the riders felt unable to relax, with a twisting route through a number of villages providing plenty of trouble in the form of road furniture and tight bends causing nervous racing.

Vuelta a EspañaDutch delight in Utrecht as Jumbo-Visma win opening TTT and Gesink takes red19/08/2022 AT 18:36 Though the peloton avoided major incident, both Lotto-Soudal's Steff Cras and Michael Woods of Israel-Premier Tech were forced to abandon after crashes.

Sporting sprint Sam Bennett Alejandro Valverde Mikel Landa Netherlands Spain Bahrain Israel

Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) cruised through Sunday’s procession into Madrid to confirm his maiden Grand Tour title at La Vuelta, with UAE Team Emirates lead-out man Juan Sebastian Molano unusually winning the bunch sprint on Stage 21. The Belgian was all but guaranteed to keep the red jersey after surviving the final mountains test on Saturday’s penultimate stage, with the 22-year-old enjoying some celebratory photos with his Quick-Step team-mates on the slow run to the Spanish capital.

La Vuelta 2022: Thymen Arensman wins maiden Grand Tour stage as Primoz Roglic gains more time on Remco Evenepoel

Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) won his first ever Grand Tour stage as Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) trimmed Remco Evenepoel’s (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) lead in the general classification to 1’34” going into the final week. Arensman was part of a big breakaway that took a while to form and made his move inside the final 8km, catching and going past Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) to go on and win his maiden La Vuelta stage. Ad The battle for the red jersey didn’t light up until the final climb of the day, the special category ramp up to Alto Hoya de la Mora.

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Opinion: Mikel Landa, Thibaut Pinot, Chris Froome and the other riders points to prove this weekend at La Vuelta

After Richard Carapaz managed to save his Vuelta with victory on Penas Blancas on Thursday, many other riders will look to use the summit showdowns on La Pandera and the Alto Hoya de la Mora to mastermind their own return to the top table. For the man in red, Remco Evenepoel, Sunday’s blockbuster finale in the Sierra Nevada will not only be a chance to extend his lead at the top of the standings, but will also give the 22-year-old the opportunity to put another myth to bed – namely his inability to perform over long, tough climbs at altitude.

Evenepoel dominates time trial to stretch Vuelta lead

VALENCIA, Spain: Remco Evenepoel won stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday, extending his overall lead in the race by dominating a flat 30.9km individual time-trial from Elche to Alicante.

La Vuelta: 'Totally crazy' – Sean Kelly blasts Trek-Segafredo after failing to pass on news about Sam Bennett

Sean Kelly has blasted Trek-Segafredo after star rider Mads Pedersen revealed he was not told about the withdrawal of green jersey rival Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) before Tuesday’s individual time trial at La Vuelta. Pedersen began Stage 10’s dash from Elche to Alicante with a five-point lead over Bennett in the points classification, prompting him to go “all in” over the 30.9km course to ensure he kept the jersey. The fastest 15 riders were set to score points.