The Vuelta a España is the final part of 2020. Until November 8 we will be presented with a beautiful race, with a very strong field of participants. Who won the stages and who wore the jerseys? In the Leader’s jersey keeps track of the entire Vuelta for you in this overview:
Stage 1, from 20 October 2020: Irun – Arrate Eibar (173 km)
What a start! The first stage in the Vuelta was not a prologue or a flat stage, it was an immediate climb. Jumbo-Visma and Movistar immediately indicated that they wanted to go for it this day and so the leading group had no chance. What followed was a battlefield on the last two climbs. On the penultimate climb, big names had to go down, on the last climb the group with the strongest men was even further thinned. Primoz Roglic – who else – won the prize.
Climbs
98 km: Puerto de Udana (6,0 km a 2,3%)
119.7 km: Alto de Kanpazar (6.7 km to 4.1%)
156 km: Alto de Karabieta (6.2 km at 5.2%)
176.5 km: Alto de Arrate (5.3 km at 7.7%)
Winner
Primoz Roglic
Wearers of the four jerseys:
Red jersey: Primoz Roglic
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka dot jersey: Sepp Kuss
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 2, Wednesday 21 October 2020: Pamplona – Lekunberri (151.6 km)
Again a difficult stage on day two of the Vuelta a España, but not only because of the climb at the end. The whole day there was a lot of wind, which caused a lot of unrest. Movistar pushed the accelerator fully and turned it into a very heavy lock. The peloton broke in two and only an elite group remained on the climb. Marc Soler took advantage of each other’s hesitation and attacked on his own in the descent. He managed to win solo, while Primoz Roglic defended his red jersey as number two in the daily result.
Climbs
29.2 km: Puerto de Guirguillamo (8.2 km at 4.3%)
87.2 km: Puerto de Urbasa (9.2 km to 4.7%)
134.7 km: Alto de San Miguel de Aralar (9.4 km at 7.9%)
Winner
Marc Soler
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Primoz Roglic
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Richard Carapaz
White jersey: Enric Mas
Etappe 3, donderdag 22 oktober 2020: Lodosa – La Laguna Negra – Vinuesa (166.1 km)
The third day the peloton led to La Laguna Negra, roughly translated as ‘the black lake’. We were faced with a very quiet stage, with noble escape attempts as the main achievements. Until the final climb, where everything exploded in a classic Vuelta ride! INEOS Grenadiers set the pace for the entire climb, but it was Dan Martin who started the sprint first. The leader of Israel Start-Up Nation eventually kept Roglic and Carapaz off nicely, while Roglic kept the leader’s jersey.
Climbs
79.0 km: Alto de Oncola (17.0 km at 2.6%)
166.1 km: Laguna Negra (8.6 km to 5.8%)
Winner
And Martin
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Primoz Roglic
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Richard Carapaz
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 4, Friday 23 October 2020: Numancia – Ejea de los Caballeros (191.7 km)
The fourth stage seemed to be a boring stage that would end in a mass sprint. Movistar thought differently and tried to pull the peloton apart halfway through the course. Unfortunately the wind was just not favorable enough and there were no significant gaps. The four leaders Luis Ángel Mate, Willie Smit, Jesús Ezquerra, and Harry Tanfield were then caught 15 kilometers from the finish line. In the first sprint of this round, Jasper Philipsen started remarkably early, but Sam Bennett managed to get over it in the final meters.
Climbs
No
Winner
Sam Bennett
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Primoz Roglic
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Richard Carapaz
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 5, Saturday October 24, 2020: Huesca – Sabiñánigo (184.4 km)
It took a while for the stage to have a real leading group. A group of fourteen riders tried for a while, but were eventually taken back by the peloton. Ultimately, the race got three beautiful names at the front: Tim Wellens, Guillaume Martin and the young Dutchman Thymen Arensman. The three riders were given the space of the peloton to go for the day victory. In the last kilometer Arensman tried to slip away, but his action was nipped in the bud by Wellens. The Belgian then pulled through and was the first to cross the line. In addition to the day win, Wellens also takes over the mountain jersey from Richard Carapaz.
Climbs
125.4 km: Alto de Vio (13.5 km aan 4.7%)
136.5 km: Alto de Fanlo (6.4 km at 4.6%)
166.7 km: Alto de Petralba (8.7 km to 5.2%)
Winner
Tim Wellens
Wear the four sweaters
Red jersey: Primoz Roglic
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka dot jersey: Tim Wellens
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 6, Sunday October 25, 2020: Biescas – Aramón Formigal (146.4 km)
How we would have liked to have gone over the Alto de Pourtalet, Col d’Aubisque and Col du Tourmalet in this stage, but it was not given to us. Due to the corona virus, the Vuelta was not allowed to enter France and so a plan B was explained. It was a lot less difficult, but still nice when you arrive uphill! After two climbs (of the third and second category) the classification men were allowed to go loose again on the final climb of the first category and that happened. Ion Izagirre won from the flight, but Richard Carapaz gave a tap to Primoz Roglic and took over the leader’s jersey.
Climbs
69.5 km: Alto de Petralba
105.5 km: Port of Cotefablo
146.4 km: Aramón Formigal (14.5 km aan 4,6%)
Winner
Ion Izagirre
Wear the four sweaters
Red jersey: Richard Carapaz
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka dot jersey: Tim Wellens
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 7, Tuesday October 27, 2020: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Villanueva de Valdegovia (159.7 km)
Nice Spanish, also on day seven, a day after the first day of rest. It went on and off all day, with the Puerto de Orduña twice as executioner, in short, a great day for the attackers and it showed. From the room it rained attacks and it took a long time before the decisive flight, which consisted of more than thirty (!) Riders, was gone. Strong climbers such as Michael Woods, Alejandro Valverde and Sepp Kuss were there.
Along the way, there were several attacks in the breakaway, but the last passage of the Puerto de Orduña was started by 25 riders from the original breakaway. Woods was the strongest on the climb and started with twenty seconds in the mostly descending last nineteen kilometers. Woods, however, was caught up by four riders, including Valverde and Omar Fraile, at fourteen kilometers from the finish. Just before the last mile, Woods charged again. Fraile was the only one to try to close the gap, but Woods held out and won the stage.
Climbs
67,3 km: Puerto de Orduña (7,8 km or 7.7%)
140.6 km: Puerto de Orduña (7,8 km or 7,7%)
Winner
Michael Woods
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Richard Carapaz
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Guillaume Martin
White jersey: Enric Mas
Stage 8, Wednesday October 28, 2020: Logroño – Alto de Moncalvillo (164 km)
Arrival uphill! The classification riders were allowed to show it here, for the day victory and for the classification. A second category climb served as a starter and to warm up the legs. After a fast descent and a scorching run-up, the final climb was ready. This Alto de Moncalvillo was 8.3 kilometers long and rose by over 9 percent! It became the spectacle we expected. Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz, Hugh Carthy and Daniel Martin fought a great duel, with Roglic ultimately the strongest of the day. It was his second victory in this Vuelta.
Climbs
113.8 km: Puerto de la Rasa (9.8 km aan 5.3%)
164.0 km: Alto de Moncalvillo (8.3 km at 9.2%)
Winner
Primoz Roglic
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Richard Carapaz
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Guillaume Martin
White jersey: Enric Mas
Etappe 9, donderdag 29 oktober 2020: Castrillo del Val – Aguilar de Campoo (157.7 km)
How wonderful that must be for the frugal fast men in the peloton: a sprint ride! After a hiking stage, it was the sprint teams that logically broke up in the final meters. In the end it became a battle between Deceuninck-Quick-Step and BORA-hansgrohe, brilliantly rounded off by Sam Bennett from that first team. But as it turned out, the Irishman had handed out a heavy shoulder push to another rider and was downgraded for his action, which resulted in Ackermann winning the stage.
Climbs
No
Winner
Pascal Ackermann
Wearers of the four jerseys
Red jersey: Richard Carapaz
Green jersey: Primoz Roglic
Polka-dot jersey: Guillaume Martin
White jersey: Enric Mas
(Photo: Sirotti)
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