ALTO DE MONCALVILLO (AFP) – Primoz Roglic grabbed back the lead in the Vuelta as he won the 19th stage after his team pushed him into a ferocious attack on the final climb on Friday.
Roglic started Friday’s 173.2-kilometre (km) ride through Rioja from Logrono five seconds behind Ben O’Connor.
With 6km left on the closing climb to the Alto de Moncalvillo, Roglic and two of his Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team-mates blasted off the front.
The Slovenian said at the finish that he had not been keen on the tactic.
“I didn’t need the stage but some guys decided they would pull for me so we went for it,” he said.
Dani Martinez set the initial pace. Aleksandr Vlasov briefly took over before their team leader zoomed away from both.
Roglic crossed the line 46 seconds ahead of Frenchman David Gaudu of EF Education and Dane Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl.
Roglic won on the same ascent in 2020 on his way to his second overall victory in the race.
After his 15th Vuelta stage win, Roglic is two tough days away from a fourth Vuelta, which would equal the record for most victories held by Spaniard Roberto Heras.
