Following his stage 1 defeat by Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Alexsandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) turned the tables with a vengeance 48 hours later as the Russian both dropped the Belgian on the race’s toughest single climb and stormed into the overall lead.
Vlasov’s third and final attack on the daunting sterrato section of the Atenas del Maigmó climb left Evenepoel reeling and saw the Russian solo to his first victory with his new team Bora-Hansgrohe.
Second in Paris-Nice in 2021 and second in Tour de la Provence in 2020, Vlasov has always shone brightly in the early stage races. But this year’s victory in Valenciana was the first time the 25-year-old has hit the winning jackpot in an early spring race.
“I like these kinds of climbs, I saw the gravel section on video and it’s really hard, so I decided to stay really focussed and make my move there,” Vlasov told reporters as he waited to don the leader’s yellow jersey.
“It was pretty hard on the sterrato, with some big stones, so I tried to make a difference there,” he added.
Sixteen seconds behind Evenepoel after stage 2, Vlasov’s monster attack concluded with the Russian 14 seconds ahead of second-placed Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) on the finish line. Overall, as Evenepoel struggled and crossed the line in eighth place, Vlasov has now leapfrogged 32 seconds ahead of the Belgian star.
With just two flat sprint stages remaining, barring major surprises that should be an ample margin for the Russian to claim his first ever stage race win.
His lead is also a welcome morale boost to Bora-Hansgrohe after Wilco Kelderman, a crash victim on stage 2, did not start on stage 3, while another teammate, Matthew Walls, fell during Friday's stage and had to abandon. Kelderman was not seriously injured on Thursday, suffering bruises and abrasions according to a team release, but the team opted to stop his race as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Vlasov powers on. Fourth in the 2021 Giro d’Italia, this year he is set for the Tour de France, but his Valenciana success means the Russian has a great start already for 2022.
“I’m very happy I went so well,” Vlasov said afterwards. “Now I feel like I’m really part of the team.”
