2021 Vuelta a España

Primož Roglič, pictured on stage 5

The Vuelta began with a short individual time trial in Burgos. Alex Aranburu (Astana–Premier Tech) sat in the hot seat for the majority of the day after he set a time of 8' 38". Several riders threatened Aranburu's time, but only Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo–Visma), the last rider off the start ramp and the defending champion, was able to best him. Roglič set a time of 8' 32", six seconds quicker than Aranburu, to take the first red jersey of the race.[14] The next stage featured a flat route with an opportunity for the sprinters to take the win. With 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) to go, a crash caught out several GC contenders, including Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers), Hugh Carthy (EF Education–Nippo), and David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates), with all three losing 30 seconds to a minute by the finish. In the sprint to the line, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Fenix) outsprinted Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) to take the win and the lead in the points classification while Roglič retained the red jersey.[15]

Rein Taaramäe in the red jersey after stage 4

The third stage featured the first summit finish of the race, with the riders finishing atop the climb of Picón Blanco. An eight-man breakaway was allowed to build a maximum advantage of nine minutes, with Team Jumbo–Visma content to relinquish the red jersey to a breakaway rider. On the final climb, Joe Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates), Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), and Kenny Elissonde (Trek–Segafredo) emerged as the strongest riders from the break. Further up the climb, Taaramäe dropped his companions to win the stage, taking the red jersey and the mountains classification's blue polka-dot jersey in the process. The headwind on the climb discouraged riders in the GC group from attacking, and no one was able to build a substantial gap. Near the finish, Enric Mas (Movistar Team) accelerated from the group, gaining three seconds on a seven-man group of favorites. Several contenders, including Carthy, Romain Bardet (Team DSM), and Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana–Premier Tech), lost almost half a minute. Recently crowned Olympic road race champion Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) finished a minute behind the main GC group and was also docked 20 seconds for taking an unauthorized feed.[16]

Kenny Elissonde being awarded the red jersey after stage 5

The fourth stage was mostly flat with a slight uphill ramp to the finish line, though the sprinters were still expected to contend for the stage win. At 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) from the line, Taaramäe, the race leader, crashed, but with the accident occurring inside the final 3 kilometres (1.9 mi), he was credited with the same time as the peloton and was able to retain the race lead. In the final sprint, Jakobsen outsprinted Arnaud Démare (Groupama–FDJ) for the win to take the lead in the points classification and the green jersey from Philipsen.[17][18] The fifth stage featured another chance for the sprinters with a flat course to Albacete. With 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) to go, a large crash brought down most of the peloton, including Bardet and Taaramäe, but all riders who crashed managed to continue riding. In the sprint, Philipsen outsprinted Jakobsen to take his second stage win of the race; in doing so, Philipsen took back the green jersey. Taaramäe finished two minutes down, thus putting second-placed Elissonde into the red jersey, while Bardet finished 12 minutes down, dropping him out of GC contention.[19]

The sixth stage featured the second uphill finish of the race atop the 1.9-kilometre (1.2 mi)-climb of Alto de la Montaña de Cullera. With 34 kilometres (21 mi) to go, crosswinds temporarily split the peloton into echelons, but the peloton eventually reformed ahead of the final climb. The lead quintet began the climb with a lead of only 20 seconds, with Magnus Cort (EF Education–Nippo) dropping his breakaway companions inside the final kilometre. With 300 metres (980 ft) left, Roglič kicked clear and bridged up to Cort at the line, but Cort held on for the stage win. Most of the other contenders finished up to 27 seconds behind while Carthy lost almost three minutes. With Elissonde losing four and a half minutes, Roglič took the red jersey back.[20]

The seventh stage featured six categorized climbs, including a summit finish atop Balcón de Alicante. After a furious fight for the break, 29 riders broke clear, with the peloton content to let the break battle for the stage win. The fight for the win came down to four riders: Michael Storer (Team DSM), Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), Carlos Verona (Movistar Team), and Andreas Kron (Lotto–Soudal). Verona made the first attack with 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to go but Storer made the decisive move with 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) to go and soloed to the stage win. In the GC group, Carthy struggled on the first climb before eventually abandoning. On the fourth climb, the Puerto El Collao, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) launched an attack with Carapaz and Yates. On the descent, Valverde crashed heavily on a bend, and though he was initially able to continue riding, he was eventually forced to abandon due to his injuries; it was later revealed that he had fractured his collarbone.[21] Carapaz, Roglič, and Miguel Ángel López (Movistar Team) also made an attack but they were caught. On the final climb, Yates put in a few attacks that split the GC group, bringing with him Roglič, Mas, López, De La Cruz, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux) to the finish. Vlasov lost 13 seconds while other contenders lost around half a minute. In the GC, Roglič narrowly held on to his red jersey by eight seconds over Felix Großschartner (Bora–Hansgrohe), who was in the break.[22] The next stage was another opportunity for the sprinters. After the day's main breakaway trio was caught with around 37 kilometres (23 mi) to go, Astana–Premier Tech attempted to split the peloton into echelons, but the peloton eventually regrouped for the sprint finish. After a late attack from Jetse Bol (Burgos BH) was reeled back in, Jakobsen outsprinted Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) to take his second stage win of the race.[23]

On stage nine, the peloton faced a mountainous route with a summit finish atop the special category Alto de Velefique. The break was finally formed after almost 90 kilometres (56 mi), with 11 riders going off the front. With 71 kilometres (44 mi) to go, Damiano Caruso (Team Bahrain Victorious) dropped his breakaway companions on the Alto Collado Venta Luisa. He gradually built his lead over the chasing remnants of the breakaway before holding off the GC contenders to win the stage. In the GC group, Mikel Landa (Team Bahrain Victorious) was dropped at the bottom of the Velefique, eventually losing five minutes on the day. Yates put in a few digs on the climb, with Roglič and Mas the only riders able to stay with him during his last attack. Roglič and Mas eventually dropped Yates before working together to extend their lead, with Roglič sprinting to take second place, one second ahead of Mas, to extend his lead. A chase group composed of Yates, López, Bernal, and Jack Haig (Team Bahrain Victorious) formed behind, with Bernal unable to follow the pace. The chasers finished 39 seconds down on Roglič while Bernal finished with Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo) and Gino Mäder (Team Bahrain Victorious) at more than a minute down. Mas was the only rider within a minute of Roglič heading into the first rest day.[24]

The first stage after the rest day began with gently undulating terrain before the riders tackled the second-category Puerto de Almáchar, which crested with 16.4 kilometres (10.2 mi) left before the descent and a flat run-in to the finish. With the peloton content to let the break battle for the stage win, 31 riders finally broke away after more than 70 kilometres (43 mi). On the Puerto de Almáchar, Michael Storer (Team DSM) dropped his breakaway companions on his way to another solo stage win. In the GC group, race leader Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo–Visma), attacked on the climb's steepest section and crested the climb with a margin of around 20 seconds over a chase group composed of Jack Haig (Team Bahrain Victorious) and the Movistar Team duo of Enric Mas and Miguel Ángel López. However, Roglič crashed on the descent, and though he was able to get back up quickly and relatively unscathed, he relinquished his gap and was quickly caught by the chasing trio. Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana–Premier Tech), Felix Großschartner (Bora–Hansgrohe), and Roglič's teammate, Sepp Kuss, bridged up to the quartet, with the seven riders crossing the line at almost 12 minutes down. A group containing the Ineos Grenadiers duo of Egan Bernal and Adam Yates crossed a further 37 seconds in arrears. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), who was part of the break and started the day just over nine minutes behind Roglič, moved into the race lead and took over the red jersey, while fellow breakaway member Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) moved up into second at almost one minute in arrears.[25]

The eleventh stage featured a return to the steep uphill finish in Valdepeñas de Jaén. A break of five was established after 30 kilometres (19 mi), eventually leading by as much as two minutes. Magnus Cort (EF Education–Nippo) dropped his breakaway companions on the Puerto de Locubín before reaching the final kilometre with a lead of just under 20 seconds; he would eventually be caught with 200 metres (660 ft) left. In the final sprint, Roglič powered away from Mas to take his second stage win of the race. Eiking crossed the line at 11 seconds down to retain the red jersey.[26] The next stage featured a hilly course with another large fight for the break. Eight riders broke clear after 75 kilometres (47 mi) but UAE Team Emirates kept their lead at a minute and a half. With 54 kilometres (34 mi) to go, a crash took down several riders in the peloton, including Roglič and Yates, but all riders eventually got back up and returned to the peloton. On the last climb of the day, the break was caught before Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo), Jay Vine (Alpecin–Fenix), Romain Bardet (Team DSM), and Sergio Henao (Team Qhubeka NextHash) pulled away from the peloton. The quartet was eventually caught in the final kilometre. In the sprint to the line, Jens Keukeleire (EF Education–Nippo) led out his sprinter, Cort, who took his second stage of the race.[27]

Ahead of two consecutive mountainous stages, the thirteenth stage provided another opportunity for the sprinters. With 60 kilometres (37 mi) to go, crosswinds split the peloton but it regrouped ahead of the finale. In the technical final few kilometres, Deceuninck–Quick-Step took to the front and set a fast pace, which ended up causing several gaps and dropping their sprinter, Fabio Jakobsen. The team then turned to usual lead-out man Florian Sénéchal, who held off Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) to win his first Grand Tour stage.[28]

The fourteenth stage was the first of those mountainous stages, with a summit finish at Pico Villuercas. An 18-man break built up an advantage of 14 minutes as they battled for the win. Vine, Daniel Navarro (Burgos BH), and Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation), who were in the break, crashed in separate incidents but were able to continue, with Vine and Navarro getting back to the break. Bardet emerged as the strongest from the break, dropping everyone on the final climb to win the stage and take the lead in the mountains classification. His closest chasers were Vine and Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) at 44 seconds down. In the GC group, the headwind on the final climb and the pace set by Team Jumbo–Visma dissuaded attacks from the contenders. However, Miguel Ángel López's attack with 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) to go was the first serious attempt, and he built an advantage of more than 10 seconds before being chased by Roglič in the final kilometre. Roglič was immediately followed by Mas, Bernal, and Haig, with the quartet coming to within four seconds of catching López at the finish. Eiking lost 20 seconds but stayed in the red jersey for another day.[29]

On the fifteenth stage, the riders tackled four climbs before a short descent to the finish in El Barraco ahead of the second rest day. Another furious fight for the break ended with three riders, Maxim Van Gils (Lotto–Soudal), Fabio Aru (Team Qhubeka NextHash), and Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates), breaking away on the first climb while another chase group of attackers formed behind. Van Gils soon dropped back to the chase group, and with 87 kilometres (54 mi) to go, Majka dropped Aru to solo off the front. The Pole maintained his advantage to the finish to win the stage. His closest pursuer was Steven Kruijswijk (Team Jumbo–Visma), who finished almost a minute and a half down. Meanwhile, the GC group remained relatively quiet before Yates animated the group with several attacks on the last climb, with his last attack giving him a 15-second advantage over the other contenders at the finish line. Eiking finished with the other contenders to keep the red jersey heading into the second rest day.[30]

The third week began with a flat stage, possibly offering the last chance for the pure sprinters to win. A few kilometres after the stage started, a crash took down some riders, splitting the peloton in the process; all those who crashed would eventually get back up. Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo) was forced to abandon the race while Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) were among those who went down. A five-man break built a two-minute lead while Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto–Soudal) bridged up front on the only categorized climb of the day. Stan Dewulf (AG2R Citroën Team), the last remnant of the break, was caught with 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) to go. In the final sprint, Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) won his third stage of the race. Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux) kept the red jersey ahead of the two big mountain stages.[31]

The seventeenth stage was the first of two consecutive mountain stages that was expected to be decisive in the GC battle, with a summit finish at the Lagos de Covadonga. On the second ascent of La Collada Llomena, the day's main breakaway was caught, while Eiking was dropped from the peloton. With 61 kilometres (38 mi) to go, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) launched an attack, followed immediately by Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo–Visma). Both riders gradually increased their advantage over a group containing the other contenders, which was being led by Team Bahrain Victorious. On the final climb up to the Lagos de Covadonga, Roglič dropped Bernal with 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) to go and soloed to his third stage win; in doing so, Roglič took over the red jersey. Towards the top, Bernal was caught by a six-man chase group, which contained Roglič's closest rivals. In the final kilometre, as Roglič was beginning his post-race descent, his teammate, Sepp Kuss, sprinted to lead home the chase group at 1' 35" behind, denying the other contenders from getting the six bonus seconds on offer for second place. In the GC, Roglič increased his advantage to almost two and a half minutes over Mas.[32]

The eigteenth stage featured the last major mountain stage, with the riders tackling the finishing climb of Altu d'El Gamoniteiru for the first time in Vuelta history. A 32-man break pulled away at the start of the stage while Team Bahrain Victorious controlled the pace in the peloton. Michael Storer (Team DSM) emerged as the strongest rider in the break, dropping his breakaway companions and embarking on a 72-kilometre (45 mi) solo break. The peloton gradually decreased his advantage before he was caught by David de la Cruz (UAE Team Emirates) on the Gamoniteiru. De la Cruz dropped Storer with 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) left, but he was soon caught by Miguel Ángel López (Movistar Team), who attacked from a reduced group containing Roglič, Kuss, Mas, and Bernal. López dropped de la Cruz immediately before soloing to the stage win. Roglič outsprinted Mas and Bernal at the finish, gapping them by a few seconds. A quartet containing Jack Haig (Team Bahrain Victorious) finished 58 seconds behind. By finishing second, Roglič strengthened his hold on the red jersey.[33]

The nineteenth stage featured a hilly start, with three categorized climbs before a mostly flat finale. A 24-man break pulled away at the start of the day, but Team BikeExchange and Team DSM only gave the break a maximum lead of two and a half minutes. With 43 kilometres (27 mi) left, a crash brought down several riders in the peloton. The biggest victim was Louis Meintjes (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), sitting in tenth on GC, as he was forced to abandon the race. Up front, seven riders were left in the break, with the peloton hovering at half a minute behind. However, the break worked well together to maintain their advantage to the finish. In the final sprint, Magnus Cort (EF Education–Nippo) sprinted past Quinn Simmons (Trek–Segafredo) and held off Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) to take his third stage win of the race. The only change in the top ten was de la Cruz climbing into tenth as a result of Meintjes' withdrawal.[34]

The penultimate stage featured five categorized climbs inside the final 100 kilometres (62 mi). After 50 kilometres (31 mi) of racing, a 16-man group broke away from the peloton, building a lead of 11 and a half minutes before Ineos Grenadiers began to chase. In the break, Storer took maximum points on the first three climbs to clinch the mountains classification. On the descent of Alto de Mougás, Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates) attacked from the break, building a lead of over a minute on the chase group. On the ascent of the same climb, Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) attacked the peloton twice. Only Roglič, Mas, Haig, and Gino Mäder (Team Bahrain Victorious) were able to follow him, with the group's lead ballooning to more than four minutes over the López and Bernal group. López would eventually abandon in the middle of the stage, despite the appeals of his teammates and directeur sportif.[35] The GC group caught the remnants of the break over the last two climbs. With Gibbons' lead at less than a minute, Yates and Mas launched some attacks on the final climb, catching and dropping Gibbons, but Roglič and Haig came back each time. Inside the final 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), as the four riders stalled, Clément Champoussin (AG2R Citroën Team) accelerated from behind and held on to win his first Grand Tour stage. Roglič finished second to retain the red jersey while Haig moved up to third. Yates moved up to fourth while Mäder climbed into the top five, taking the white jersey from Bernal in the process.[36]

The final stage featured a 33.8-kilometre (21.0 mi) time trial from Padrón to Santiago de Compostela. Josef Černý (Deceuninck–Quick-Step), the first rider off the start ramp, set the first benchmark time after finishing with a time of 45' 18". Černý's time stood until Cort beat his time at the first two time checks before setting a time of 44' 16", just over a minute faster than Černý. He sat in the hot seat until Roglič, the last rider off the start ramp, took to the course. He was faster than Cort at the first two time checks. Despite almost taking a wrong turn at one point, Roglič set a time of 44' 02", beating Cort's time by 14 seconds to win his fourth stage of the race and confirm his third consecutive Vuelta win. Jakobsen, Storer, and Mäder finished the time trial safely to confirm their victories in the points, mountains, and young rider classifications, respectively. Team Bahrain Victorious won the team classification while Cort won the overall combativity award. 142 riders finished the race, 42 less than the number of riders who started the race.[3]