Tom Pidcock held on to third place in La Vuelta after being dropped in the final kilometres of the monstrous 17km Farrapona climb on stage 14.
The stage was won once again by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, this time with Marc Soler, but their leader João Almeida was unable to drop Visma-Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard who remains in the Maillot Rojo.
It was a second hard day in the Asturias between Avilés and Lagos de Somiedo which, while shorter than stage 13’s slog towards the Angliru, took in two category one climbs along the 136km. It was a key stage before Sunday’s expected easier day and the much-needed day off on Monday.
Soler enjoys his win — UAE’s seventh stage victory at this year’s Vuelta
DARIO BELINGHERI/GETTY IMAGES
With the final week and the time-trial that comes with it ahead, stage 14 was a test of who is the strongest and who will be able to hold the top positions for the general classification (GC) when the race reaches Madrid next weekend.
Pidcock came into La Vuelta targeting a top-ten finish on the GC and has looked a man transformed after his 16th place at the Giro d’Italia in May. He continued his transition into a three-week rider and never looked in trouble with the pace of the main group until Jai Hindley of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe attacked in the final 2km of the final climb.
After UAE took control of the small group of favourites, setting a hard place up both category one climbs in an attempt to put pressure on Vingegaard, it was Giulio Pellizzari of Red Bull who caused the most problems. As the group splintered and riders dropped out the back due to the Italian’s pace, Hindley, the 2022 Giro winner, burst through the crowds that lined the sun-bleached road as it wound toward the stony peak.
Pidcock did not crack, but he could not keep up with Hindley, Almeida and two-times Tour de France winner Vingegaard. The man from Leeds kept fighting and managed to cross the line in eighth place, just ten seconds behind Hindley, who could not keep up with Vingegaard and Almeida who finished in second and third respectively .
Vingegaard still leads overall by 48 seconds after claiming second place on stage 14
DARIO BELINGHERI/GETTY IMAGES
Once bonus seconds are taken into consideration, Pidcock is now 32sec ahead of Hindley in fourth and continuing to prove that this Vuelta is something of a GC coming-of-age.
“It was pretty hard,” Pidcock said. “Obviously UAE and [Red Bull] wanted it to be a hard day and make it a long effort in this final climb, which it kind of was.
“I lost a bit more time but I think I’m getting better and better at these longer efforts. These are definitely the things I struggle with the most — well, not struggle, everyone struggles because it’s hard — but the thing I can improve the most and this year I have improved massively, but obviously still a lot more [to go].”
At the Giro, it was when the race went to the high mountains that the 26-year-old began to lose minutes and drop out of the top ten, ultimately finishing 45 minutes behind the winner, Simon Yates. To lose only ten seconds to Hindley, a grand tour winner, after two brutal days in a row shows what a different rider he is now.
There was another Yorkshireman who also had a good day out in Spain on stage 14. Finlay Pickering of Bahrain Victorious managed to stay out in the breakaway almost all day, caught only in the final kilometres after a brave effort to chase Soler for the win, and he was able to hold on for tenth place.
The 22-year-old from Cottingham has been having a fine race, showing he is a rider to watch in the future. Riding his first grand tour, he was only called up 24 hours before the start to replace the injured Damiano Caruso.
To make it to the race on time he had to take a 200km taxi ride from Andorra to Toulouse before catching a flight to Turin, Italy where the race began. He arrived with nothing but his hand luggage and today he took the fight to the very best at La Vuelta.
Vuelta a España stage 14 result1. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +39secs3. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) same time4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +43secs5. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), +48secs6. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +53secs7. Matthew Riccitello (US/Israel-Premier Tech) same time8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling)9. Sepp Kuss (US/Visma-Lease a Bike)10. Finlay Pickering (GB/Team Bahrain Victorious) 1min 25secsGeneral classification after stage 141. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) 53hrs 19mins 49secs2. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +48secs3. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +2mins 38secs4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull – Bora-hansgrohe) +3mins 10 secs5. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +3mins 30secs6. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +4mins 21secs7. Matthew Riccitello (USA/Israel-Premier Tech) +4mins 53secs8. Sepp Kuss (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +5 mins 46secs9. Torstein Traeen (Nor/Bahrain Victorious) +6mins 33secs10. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +8mins 52secs