Despite Primož Roglič being unable to mount a final challenge against Enric Mas (Movistar) on stage 20 of the Vuelta a España, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe were still left satisfied with the performance that should see him finish second overall in Granada on Sunday evening.
Roglič started the penultimate day of the race with 1:37 to make up if he was to snatch the red jersey, and even though the German team set things up well with satellite riders up the road in various breakaways, come the final climb to Collado del Alguacil, the Slovenian was forced into defence, not attack.
Finn Fisher-Black did the final effort to set him up, but Movistar re-took control with Pablo Castrillo once no move came. It was third-place Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) who actually had the strength to launch a move, distancing Roglič, as he and Mas gained more time, but not enough to overtake him for second.
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"We waited until the last climb and had Finn Fisher-Black to launch him, but then if you don't have the legs anymore to accelerate, then it is what it is," said Red Bull sports director Sven Vanthourenhout to reporters at the finish. "And then, in the end, you have to be happy with second place at this moment.
"We had three key points. Two of them were really special to do something with Primož. In the end, if he doesn't do the acceleration we talked about before, then you just know that he didn't have the legs, and each performance in the last week was actually a good one.
"I think we took everything out of the team and of Primož during this Grand Tour. Then it is what it is, and then it's Mas who is the deserved winner of this Vuelta. I think we can look back on a nice race."
Roglič wasn't even supposed to be mounting a serious bid for GC after he was struck by a driver in training at the end of July. However, he's managed to find an elite level despite the lack of training, and land the ninth Grand Tour podium of his illustrious career – should he finish the Granada finale safely.
It's been a caveat that Red Bull have long known could see him unable to challenge Mas for red, but they nonetheless still believed in their leader once Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) crashed on stage 8 and blew the GC race wide open.
"Of course, we started the Vuelta with Tadej Pogačar, so then already it's always different. And from the moment Tadej was out, of course, we knew that the race restarts again," said Vanthourenhout.
"There were other opportunities on the road towards Granada, but we always had in mind that Primož lost ten days before the Vuelta, and that's why we were always careful, and we were always waiting for the last week to take initiative or to do something.
"We always had in mind to trust the process towards the end of the Vuelta. [And today], we did actually everything perfect. But, yes, we always should sign for a second place on GC before the Vuelta because we knew what kind of preparation Primož had towards this Grand Tour, and we're happy with it."
Looking back to key days where Roglič could have taken more time back on Mas – the stage 18 time trial and Friday's summit finish to Peñas Blancas where he attacked – Vanthourenhout had no regrets.
"I think we analysed a lot of performance, especially from Primož, and we saw that he did one of his best time-trials ever, and that means that we speak about his best three, four TTs ever," added the Belgian.
"So then you have to look back and say this was a good day for us as a team. Then you had [Friday], which was a good one, because we never had the idea to try and gain time towards Enric Mas. We were there as a team. This is what we wanted. This is also what we wanted on Saturday, of course."
In the end, Roglič just had to concede to the stronger rider in Mas, who will make history as the first male Spanish winner of the Vuelta for 14 years. Both will be presented on the final podium, as the latest chapter of their rivalry in Spain has finally gone in favour of the home hope.
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