Marc Soler revolts with a stage triumph that ends two years of crossing the desert

BarcelonaGritting his teeth, clenching his fists. With his head down, aware that he had a group just 10 seconds behind him that was chasing him on the descent to Bilbao, where glory awaited him. Marc Soler has managed to shake off doubts and fears, breaking the great drought of Catalan cycling in the grand tours by winning the fifth stage of the Vuelta a España between Irun and Bilbao, with a route of 187, 2 km. Spanish cycling, in fact, had gone 668 days without a stage triumph in one of the three grand tours, a total of 121 disappointing stages. The previous triumph of a Catalan in a stage of the three grand tours had been in 2020, also in the Vuelta. Also in the Basque Country, in Lekunberri. And also of Marc Soler, when he was a rider for Movistar.

It had to be Soler, a runner with enormous talent and a strong character. The villain, after failing to make the step forward at Movistar, where more than once he did not get along with the team’s management, landed this year in the UAE, where he added the first big disappointment when he did not he was able to finish the Tour. In the Vuelta, he turned history like an omelette with a final attack where he suffered bravely, but he managed to enter Bilbao alone, putting the icing on a beautiful stage, since if on the road a Catalan commanded, on the verges the Basques have once again proven to be one of the best cycling fans on the planet. Things in life, he did it by carrying a water can from the Movistar team, as if it were a joke of fate, remembering his previous team.

The stage, ideal for escapes, saw a very active Roger Adrià, who was part of a group of 18 escapees who took advantage of the fact that the favorites did not feel like getting tired today. But who has read the road better has been Soler, who has crowned the Alt del Vivero alone, 16 km from the finish line, leaving his teammates behind in the day’s winning breakaway, winning with a time of 4h.15.23 . The villain entered just two seconds behind the South African Daryl Impey (Israel) and the British Fred Wright (Bahrain), who were just a stone’s throw away from catching him. And the big group? He’s relaxed, as if the favorites already think it’s okay to let other runners dream. And the result has been that they entered five minutes behind Soler, which has caused the great favorite and reigning champion, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), to lose the lead he had achieved yesterday. The new leader is Frenchman Rudy Molard (Groupama), two seconds ahead of Fred Wright and one minute and 9 seconds ahead of Nikias Arndt (BikeExchange). Roglic drops to fifth place, 4 minutes and 9 seconds behind Molard.

This Thursday is the sixth stage, between Bilbao and San Miguel de Aguayo, with the final ascent to Pico Jano after 181.2 km.