Down … (and out?)
159 km of standard issue flat stage fare. Then 3 km of utter hayhem. Primož Roglič launched a blisteringly brilliant attack to put more time into the race leader, only to clip Fred Wright’s handlebars and end up in a bloody exhausted heap on the floor just 150 m before the finish line. He has got to be one of the most exciting and also the unluckiest cyclist.
Punctured
Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel stuck up his arm for a leisurely bike change and then calmly rode in his his mates without a care in the world to be awarded the same time as a group just 8 seconds behind The Rog’s time. Adam Blythe on GCN ruffled some feathers by questioning whether there was actually anything wrong with Evenepoel’s bike – both tyres were OK, he was able to pedal OK – but drew back from actually accusing Quick-Step of cheating. What do you think? Did Remco manage to save himself over 3 km flat out effort and the evident danger involved by faking a mechanical problem, by invoking the “3 km” rule?! A “convenient puncture”? I’m afraid Adam’s observations left me thinking there could be something fishy going on…
Roglič was credited with only 8 seconds time gain, surely offset by his maximum effort and now injuries from the crash. It does not seem fair at all, as he sat slumped beyond the finish line, staring a thousand-yard stare and with blood coming from who-knows-where. As it happens, Roglič had inadvertently provided Mads Pedersen a perfect lead-out for his second stage win and commanding lead in the points competition.
STOP THE BLOG! STOP THE BLOG! STOP THE BLOG! STOP THE BLOG!
2022-09-07 10:27 Oh no – worst news: Roglič’s injuries have forced his withdrawal from the 2022 Vuelta (see Primoz Roglic out of Vuelta a Espana after stage 16 crash | Cyclingnews). Such a shame, whether he’s in you team selection or not…
Team of the Day
Sizzling Danish Mads delivers another stage win for ThinFatBoys and Team Ciclominaccia, who bested the velopoints once more. Chapeau! Is there time for sleeping giant Ciclominaccia to reach for the podium?
T(H)REE Cheers for the breakaway
The winner of the Combativity Award for Stage 16 was not The Rog, who deserved it for the most thrilling – if ultimately doomed – move of the day. Instead it went to … oh let me check … surprise! It’s a Spanish rider: Luis Ángel Maté Mardones however does deserve a mention. He’s a local boy from Andalusia but rides for the Basques in Euskaltel – Euskadi (after moving from Cofidis in 2021). I think it’s great to see that orange kit back on the world stage. This combativity award is actually the EIGHTH he has won on the Vuelta since 2016. But another reason he really does deserve a mention is that Maté has pledged to plant a tree for every kilometre he stays away in a break. So t(h)ree cheers for Luis!