Vuelta: Evenepoel crushes the competition during the 18th stage, Sepp Kuss retains his red jersey

2023-09-14 19:22:30

He had warned, he was aiming for a third stage victory. Eliminated from the race for the red jersey after his terrible failure at the Col du Tourmalet, Remco Evenepoel was extremely vengeful. And he succeeded in his mission this Thursday, largely dominating the 18th stage between Pola de Allande and La Cruz de Linares. Warm in the peloton and protected by his exceptional teammates, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, Sepp Kuss retains his tunic as leader of the general classification and should, in all likelihood, take the Tour of Spain.

After a few kilometers, it already seemed clear that the stage victory would be decided among the riders present in the breakaway. Remco Evenepoel, Damiano Caruso, Egan Bernal, Paul Ourselin and Julien Bernard were notably present in this leading group, which at one point had a lead of more than ten minutes.

Obviously in very good shape, despite his presence at the front also this Wednesday, the Belgian accelerated 29 km from the finish. And he was never seen again. On the final ascent, he even continued to widen the gap with his former breakaway companions, to finally claim victory with a 4′44″ lead over Damiano Caruso and 5′10″ over Andreas Kron. Taking the lead at the top of all the climbs, the time trial world champion also ensured he won the best climber ranking.

Roglic and Vingegaard protect Sepp Kuss

Nearly nine minutes behind the winner, the favorites for the general classification failed to create any differences. Despite accelerations from Juan Ayuso and Enric Mas, Sepp Kuss managed to stay on the wheels to keep his red tunic. Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, visibly satisfied to see their teammate being in a good position to win this Vuelta, did not put him in any danger. The Dane even lost around ten seconds in the last hectometers, finishing the stage quietly.

This 18th stage seemed to be the last opportunity to reverse the trend in the general classification. Friday and Sunday, two completely flat courses await the runners, while the terrain on Saturday will probably not allow Sepp Kuss to be knocked down. Distrust all the same, but the American seems well on his way to winning his first Grand Tour, and confirming the hegemony of the Jumbo-Visma over the three-week events.