Vuelta a Espana: Danny van Poppel wins stage 12
Aru keeps race lead
Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory) won a hectic last-gasp sprint in Lleida on stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana after an intense chase by the peloton caught the five-rider breakaway in sight of the finish line.
Van Poppel flatted with 10km to go but managed to get back into the peloton and then timed his sprint to perfection, passing his sprint rivals in the final twenty metres. Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) was second with Tosh van der Sande (Lotto Soudal) third. John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) was again thwarted after being blocked in in the sprint.
Trek Factory Racing had done much of the work in pursuit of the breakaway on the fast downhill roads from Andorra and van Poppel paid them back with his first ever Grand Tour victory.
“We pulled all day with the Italian guys, and in the end it was a really nice sprint,” van Poppel said immediately after his victory.
“It was not really a puncture, it was just slowly going down. I changed it and I came back really well. My teammates did a great job to bring me back. I suffered a lot yesterday (during the mountain stage in Andorra) and I really wanted to win today.”
Fabio Aru (Astana) finished safely in the peloton and so kept the race leader’s red jersey for a second day. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) remains second overall at 27 seconds, with Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) third at 30 seconds. Chris Froome failed to start the stage due to a fractured foot he sustained on stage 11.
Aru should be able to enjoy another quiet day on Friday. The 168km stage is a hilly affair between Calatayud and Tarazona and seems perfect for a breakaway to try its hand yet again.
How it happened
Following the suffering on the six climbs during the Andorra stage, the riders were happy to enjoy the largely downhill run to Lleida.
There were some tired legs at the start but also some proud smiles for having made it though what has been described as he hardest ever stage in a Grand Tour. Despite threats to quit the race after Sergio Paulinho’s incident with a television motorbike, the Tinkoff-Saxo riders rolled out with the peloton after securing extra safety assurances from the race organisers. Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) did not start after a morning MRI scan revealed a fracture in a bone in his foot. Mikel Nieve is now the British team’s protected rider.
With the stage widely expected to finish in a sprint, the overall contenders were looking for a recovery day and it was no surprise that the break formed early. After a few attacks, Maxime Bouet (Etixx-Quick Step), Miguel Ángel Rubiano (Colombia), Jaco Venter (MTN-Qhubeka), Bert Jan Lindeman (LottoNL-Jumbo), and Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r-La Mondiale) got away, with the Astana team hitting the front of the peloton to control any chase.
The five did not hesitate or look back and worked together to establish a three minute lead. They defended their advantage on the long but gradual Coll de Bóixols climb and kept working together. The five were all breakaway experts with Lindeman and Gougeard having made several attempts even in this Vuelta, and with the Dutchman winning the stage to La Alpujarra. They were not a threat to Aru’s lead, with Bouet best placed at over 20 minutes back. The five worked smoothly and efficiently together and so managed to hold off the peloton for much further than the sprinters’ teams would have liked.
With Astana not interested in leading the chase of the five it was up to the sprinters’ teams to pick up the pursuit. Giant-Alpecin did their share for Degenkolb, and so did Trek Factory Racing, with the black and white jerseys often alternating on the front. However the five battled on, making it a tough day for the domestiques doing the work in the peloton.
Trek Factory Racing’s hopes of success seemed in vain when van Poppel punctured with 10km to go. But he quickly fought back. He got a rapid front wheel change and chased back on in the slipstreams of the convoy of team cars. Several teammates helped him move back through the peloton in the final kilometres, while others continued to chase the five ahead. Their gap seemed enough on the flat roads outside of Lleida but then came down dramatically. That sparked several attacks with Bouet and then Gougeard surging ahead. However the peloton could see they were fading.
Venter tried his hand and had a gap inside the final kilometre, with Bouet getting up to him. But they were caught and passed by the sprinters on the rising finish. Impey hit out early as the other sprinters fought for the best line but then van Poppel emerged down the middle and an extra burst of power and speed took him ahead of the pack and gave him his first ever big win.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing | 4:02:11 |
2 | Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Leonardo Duque (Col) Colombia | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Lampre-Merida | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Vicente Reynes (Spa) IAM Cycling | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ.fr | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica GreenEdge | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Team Katusha | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Tinkoff-Saxo | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Tony Hurel (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Luis Mas (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica GreenEdge | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Damien Howson (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Soudal | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team Giant-Alpecin | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Andre Cardoso (Por) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Romain Sicard (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Diego Rosa (Ita) Astana Pro Team | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | José Gonçalves (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | David Arroyo (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Youcef Reguigui (Alg) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Juan Pablo Valencia (Col) Colombia | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Maxime Bouet (Fra) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing Team | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Nelson Oliveira (Por) Lampre-Merida | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Team Sky | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Peter Velits (Svk) BMC Racing Team | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Olivier Le Gac (Fra) FDJ.fr | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) IAM Cycling | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Marcel Aregger (Swi) IAM Cycling | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Dominique Rollin (Can) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
74 | Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ.fr | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Alberto Losada Alguacil (Spa) Team Katusha | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Simon Pellaud (Swi) IAM Cycling | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
79 | Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek Factory Racing | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
80 | Timo Roosen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
81 | Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team | Row 80 - Cell 2 |
82 | Larry Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
84 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | George Bennett (NZl) Team LottoNL-Jumbo | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Walter Pedraza (Col) Colombia | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana Pro Team | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Brayan Ramirez (Col) Colombia | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Jaco Venter (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Trek Factory Racing | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Kristijan Durasek (Cro) Lampre-Merida | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Pavel Kochetkov (Rus) Team Katusha | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Alexis Gougeard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 96 - Cell 2 |
98 | Johan Van Summeren (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
99 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 98 - Cell 2 |
100 | Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Astana Pro Team | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
101 | Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 100 - Cell 2 |
102 | Natnael Berhane (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (Col) BMC Racing Team | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Team Katusha | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Angel Vicioso (Spa) Team Katusha | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Pieter Serry (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
108 | Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
109 | Javier Moreno (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
110 | Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team | Row 109 - Cell 2 |
111 | Alex Cano (Col) Colombia | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
112 | Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica GreenEdge | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
113 | Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
114 | Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
115 | Rodolfo Torres (Col) Colombia | 0:00:27 |
116 | Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky | Row 115 - Cell 2 |