Tadej has enjoyed an exceptional start to the 81st Vuelta a España, already claiming three victories in six stages. The latest one wasn’t planned. With his UAE Team Emirates – XRG team, he expected the breakaway riders to battle it out among themselves on the undulating 177.4-kilometre test from Alcissebre to Castelló, during which the peloton had to overcome almost 3,000 metres of elevation gain, but when the opportunity arose, Tadej didn’t hesitate.
»We intended to let the breakaway riders escape today, but it took almost two hours for the breakaway group to form, so in the end we only had to control less than half of the stage. João Almeida and Kevin Vermaercke did an excellent job of keeping everything together, and then I was able to go for the stage victory, with Pavel Sivakov, Jay Vine and Pablo Torres guiding me up the climb and setting up the perfect attack,« Tadej said at the finish.
He accelerated on the toughest climb of the day Puerto de El Bartolo, just under 25 kilometres from the finish. He remained alone at the front, but at the top of the climb he was caught by Enric Mas (Movistar). »I was very surprised at the top. Mas flew past me like a rocket. I didn’t expect that because I heard over the radio that I had around a 40-second lead over the first chasers, and there had been no mention of Enric. When he passed me, I was somewhat shocked, and I was convinced that he knew descent. Then I was glad that I had been with him for the last 10 kilometers into the headwind, since I had no water and it was pleasant to have company. I knew I could beat him in the sprint, but I still appreciated that he gave it his all, and I also gave everything I had to reach the finish. Chapeau to him, it was an excellent race,« Tadej added.
During the descent, he also experienced an unpleasant moment when he went off the road, but he still braked carefully enough not to crash. In the sprint, just as in the 2022 Il Lombardia, he was stronger than Mas, celebrating his third stage victory at this year’s Vuelta. This was already his sixth victory in the three-week Spanish race, where he also won three stages on his debut in 2019.
Tadej, who celebrated his 22nd victory of the season and the 130th of his career, has worn the red leader’s jersey ever since winning the opening time trial in Monaco, and this time he also increased his advantage over the nearest challengers. Mas is now in 2nd place, 3:34 behind, while Primož Roglič (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) is in 3rd place, 4:21 behind. Tomorrow’s 7th stage will also be very exciting: over 150 kilometers, the riders will have to conquer 3,750 meters of elevation gain, with the winner decided by the uphill finish at Aramón Valdelinares.