Michael Woods, a Canadian cyclist, emerged as the victor on the Vuelta a Espana’s 13th stage this Friday. Woods demonstrated outstanding skill throughout the challenging mountain journey from Lugo to Puerto de Ancares in northwestern Spain, in which he boltered away decisively towards the end. This marks his fourth major tour stage victory, with three of these in La Vuelta.
A group of five leading competitors remained in close contest until they neared the harsh final climb. However, Woods took the lead with a breakaway just 4.5 kilometres from the end line. Despite his best efforts, Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid could not keep up with Wood’s pace and finished second, while Spaniard Marc Soler came in third amidst cheers from Spanish spectators.
Meanwhile, Irishman Eddie Dunbar came in 30th, lagging 12 minutes and 31 seconds behind Woods, with his fellow Irishman Darren Rafferty ranked 70th. Currently, Dunbar holds the 18th place in the overall standings whilst Rafferty is positioned at 84th.
“It’s been a challenging race.” It’s a significant cathartic moment, and a sense of tremendous relief, said Woods adding that he had been under increasing pressure to win and feels elated with the victory. He stated that he was confident of winning given the uphill battle was tailored to his advantage. He also revealed he didn’t initially intend to make his move as early as Schmid but felt compelled to do so.
The 37-year-old cyclist celebrated his strategic victory by flashing the red maple leaf on his Canadian champion jersey as he crossed the finish line.
In the overall standings, Australian cyclist Ben O’Connor’s lead was cut short by nearly two minutes by Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, reducing his lead to just one minute and 21 seconds. Despite finishing 33rd in the stage, compared to Roglic’s 16th, a tired yet determined O’Connor said he would strive hard for recovery, continue to wear the red jersey, and remain hopeful for Sunday’s race. – Guardian.