Spain’s cyclist, Pablo Castrillo, demonstrated immense resilience in overcoming physical discomfort in securing his second stage win at stage 15 of Vuelta a Espana held on a Sunday. Concurrently, Primoz Roglic gained more ground on the current race leader, Ben O’Connor.
Castrillo, from Kern-Pharma, was one of the three leading cyclists on the intensely challenging Cuitu Negru ascent towards the completion of the race. His decisive action came to the fore as he broke away from the pack within the last three kilometres of the 143 km ride, a journey spanning from Infiesto to Valgrane-Pajares.
As the decisive moment edged closer, Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) emerged from the surrounding fog, causing Castrillo to momentarily glance over his shoulder. Despite this, a renewed surge of energy saw Castrillo successfully stave off Vlasov, allowing him to secure the race, while France’s Pavel Sivakov came in at third.
Reflecting on the race, Castrillo explained, “Upon seeing Vlasov, I momentarily paused, recouped my breath, and decided to accelerate once again, thereby securing the win.”
The week’s earlier victor of stage 11, Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar, ascended three spots in the overall standings to reach the 15th position after finishing at 14th in the 15th stage.
Meanwhile, three-time past winner, Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), gained 38 seconds on Australia’s O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) who currently holds the race leader’s red jersey, trimming his lead to a mere 43 seconds as the final week begins.
The mass breakout group witnessed a reduction to just seven riders as they embarked on climbing Cuitu Negru, with a three-minute gap separating them from the rest of the participants. Only three riders, Castrillo, Vlasov, and Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates), managed to maintain a substantial lead, contributing to an exhilarating finale for the stage victory. Telegram+, the rest of the peloton dwindled in strength, leaving the leaders of the general classification at the forefront.
Even while Roglic’s target was to overtake the leaders, he did manage to marginalize O’Connor. Speculations were rife that the day’s events would see him closing in on the red jersey or even winning it back since he lost it after the sixth stage.
Looking ahead, a fierce contest was taking place between Castrillo and Vlasov. The tension and physical exertion were apparent on their faces as they persevere toward the finish line, bent over their bikes. Despite the intensity, the Spaniard, replicating his prior performance from the 12th stage, managed to clinch his second stage victory in his first Grand Tour.
O’Connor put on a brave display, doing everything in his power to contain the ensuing disruption, enabling him another opportunity to fight for the red jersey. He is looking forward to Monday’s day off before the daunting prospect of the final six stages.
The 16th stage set for Tuesday involves a challenging 181.5km cycle from Luanco to Lagos de Covadonga.
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