Johannessen triumphs and eternity for Mas in the grand finale of the Vuelta a España

A fortnight of fans, all dressed in red, approached the Movistar team bus before the stage, already with much revelry around, all curious to see the winner of the Vuelta. And the party started early. “That’s why I love you more, and I want more than what you give me…!”, they chanted like Fórmula Abierta as they jumped and hugged, a communion with the other fans that ended up being heard throughout the enclosure where the team buses were, also enough to stifle the screams of some young women around the handsome Felix Gall. “We are becoming football-like…”, the Movistar masseurs said with a laugh, while Enric waved from the bus with a laugh he has shown from the first day to the last. The same smile, of course, that he showed at the start of the final stage, on the already recognized catwalk, first alongside the other jerseys of the Vuelta (Van Aert the green, for regularity; Onley the white, for the best young rider; and Buitrago the polka dot, for the mountains), then with his companions on the podium and, of course, with his team, which has given him wings like the red jersey, similar to the one worn by all Movistar riders in the stage in honor of the winner.

Read more Man arrested for the violent death of his mother in Ponteareas (Pontevedra)

That good atmosphere, recognition among the riders, did not, however, express the point of tension that existed the night before, when the peloton claimed they did not want to race the last stage as it was designed, as they considered the urban circuit in Granada as a party end to be slippery and dangerous terrain. The cyclists argued that, in order not to jeopardize the general classification, the race should be neutralized upon reaching the city. A claim that the Vuelta and the UCI (International Cycling Union) completely rejected, as they saw no such risk and considered the complaints irrational, a widespread trend in recent times as if the Grand Tours were 20 days and not 21. After negotiations and meeting the next morning, they decided to neutralize the last lap of the circuit, 9.8 kilometers in which only those who wanted to contest the stage would do so.

Accustomed to competing, in any case, it was not a friendly day, as after a few kilometers the first attacks occurred, cyclists who have already made their mark in this Vuelta such as Fisher-Black, Brennan —five victorious stages—, Bisiaux, Laurance, Vader, Govekar, Nys, Tronchon —one for him—, Paret-Peintre and Romele. But the peloton did not want individualities and soon swallowed up the rebels… Nothing that prevented Pello Bilbao’s last dance, who left everyone as the Movistar riders raised their arms demanding more encouragement and cheers, the champions’ parade. His Vuelta had already concluded. Not so for those who wanted to finish big with a final sprint. And of the 11 who remained standing, in the breakaway, only three contested the victory: Debruyne, Romele and a Johannessen who ended up delivering that final push that led him to glory, a reward for the Norwegian who had already achieved two second places in this edition, and finally took the prize of a stage in a Grand Tour. The victory, then, went to Johannessen and eternity to Mas —with Roglic and Gall as podium companions—, who crossed the finish line alongside his teammates, all embracing on their bikes.

Read more Madrid conquers Formula 1 with 350,000 attendees at the Madring debut in the World Championship

General Classification

poscyclist	Team	Time
1 Tobias Johannessen	UXM	2h:54:08
2 Alessandro Romele	XAT	+00:00
3 Ramses Debruyne	APT	+00:00
4 Matthew Brennan	TVL	+00:00
5 Bastien Tronchon	CGF	+00:00
6 Pello Bilbao	TBV	+00:00
7 Finn Fisher-Black	RBH	+00:00
8 Axel Laurance	IGD	+00:00
9 Pau Martí	NSN	+00:00
10 Marco Brenner	TUD	+00:00

poscyclist	Team	Time
1 Enric Mas	MOV	73h:52:55
2 Primoz Roglic	RBH	+02:15
3 Felix Gall	DCD	+02:44
4 Richard Carapaz	EFE	+06:54
5 Sepp Kuss	TVL	+08:45
6 Oscar Onley	IGD	+09:28
7 Jakob Omrzel	TBV	+10:38
8 Clément Berthet	CGF	+11:41
9 Cristian Rodríguez	XAT	+11:59
10 Harold Tejada	XAT	+12:51

View full classification