Sam Bennett conceded the lead in the green jersey competition on Saturday’s eighth stage of the Vuelta a España, one day after boosting his advantage over his closest rival.
Former world champion Mads Pedersen was involved in the day’s long distance attack and while he was dropped from the move before the final climb, with the stage going to breakaway companion Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pedersen was able to win the intermediate sprint before those slopes began.
The 20 points secured in that sprint saw him overtake Bennett in the battle for the green jersey. Having been 15 points behind at the start of the day, the Danish Trek-Segafredo rider is now five points clear. Bennett had however said before Friday’s stage that he considered it possible that Pedersen would take over the jersey at this point of the race, and that if he did, that he and his Bora-Hansgrohe team believed they could recapture it in the coming week.
His sports director Jens Zemke echoed that feeling on Saturday evening. “It was a shame of course that we had to give up the green jersey, but it’s all still very close in that competition and we’ll certainly get more chances to take it back. As for the stage today, it was very tough, with the five climbs before the final ascent.
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“Our riders were up there, and at times it went well, but at other times it could have gone better, to be honest. But nothing is lost here yet and we will continue to motivate the guys to further perform at their best.”
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Bennett has been the best sprinter in the race, winning stages two and three. However he is still rebuilding full fitness after the injury problems of last season, and his climbing is not yet as strong as it was previously. Vine won the stage two days after taking victory at another summit finish. The Australian raced in 43 seconds clear of two others who were in the break, Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) and Rein Taaramae (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert).
Race leader Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) was best out of the main group, dropping all of his rivals bar Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). The trio finished one minute 20 seconds behind Vine, and Evenepoel ends the stage 28 seconds clear of Mas, one minute and one second in front of Roglič, and almost two minutes in front of Carlos Rodríguez and Tao Geoghegan Hart (both Ineos Grenadiers).
The race continues on Sunday with another mountain stage, finishing atop the climb of Les Praeres Nava. Pedersen said he didn’t intend on trying to make the breakaway again on Sunday’s stage. However he said that he hopes to extend his lead over Bennett on other days.
“It’s nice (to get the jersey) but I’m only five points ahead and the race is still long. We keep fighting to get more points. I can get there in breakaways, in the sprints and also in the TT.”
Bennett has shown he is faster than Pedersen in head to head sprints, and will aim to collect enough points in that area to hold green when the race ends in Madrid in two week’s time.
Elsewhere, young Irish rider Archie Ryan had a superb showing on the penultimate stage of the Tour de l’Avenir, finishing a very close second on the tough mountain stage to La Toussuire. He and the Belgian rider Cian Uijtdebroeks were the strongest out of the field, with the two of them battling for the win inside the final kilometre.
Uijtdebroeks ended up getting the victory, reaching the line two seconds clear of Ryan. However the result is a clear confirmation of the Irish rider’s climbing talent. He has jumped up four places to fifth overall, two minutes and 54 seconds behind new race leader Uijtdebroeks. Ryan is just 54 seconds off a place on the podium, and will aim to continue his move up the general classification on the final stage on Sunday.
It is another tough mountain leg, crossing the gruelling Col de l’Iseran and finishing atop a climb at Villaroger. The race has been won by some of the top names in cycling and is regarded as an under-23 version of the Tour de France. Ryan’s strong performance bodes very well for the future.
