Miguel Ángel López strikes gold atop Alto del Colorado at Vuelta a San Juan stage 5

Image 1 of 13

Miguel Angel López (Medellin-EPM) made a big statement at the Vuelta a San Juan with a late attack to claim solo victory and the overall lead on stage 5 atop Alto del Colorado, while Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) faded to 7th after his attack earlier on the climb petered out.

A spirited chase by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) lost some momentum on the final 7.1% gradient with 2km to go and he rode to second, 30 seconds back. Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished in third, two seconds ahead of Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Einer Rubio (Movistar). 

Evenepoel came in 1:09 down on the stage, admitting afterwards that he had made an error by attacking so forcefully with almost 10km to go before being reeled in 7.5km from the top. "I did a stupid move," he said. "I was alone, so I should have stopped riding immediately.”

Ganna now sits in second overall with the same 30-second gap to López. Higuita is third overall, 44 seconds down, while Bernal is another 14 seconds back in fourth and Evenepoel is now seventh overall, 1:19 back.

Bernal's performance was one of the stories of the day as he continues his comeback from the severe injuries he suffered in training crash last year. The Colombian, already an attacker earlier in the week, looked assured in the company of Higuita here, while his Ineos teammate Ganna showcased his early season form with his late show of strength.

Nobody, however, could match López, who took flight with a little over 7km to secure an emphatic victory. The Colombian was fired by Astana last month due to his links to Dr Marcos Maynar, the medic who is currently the subject of a drug-trafficking investigation in Spain. Unable to find another WorldTour team, López dropped down to Contintental level with Medellin-EPM for 2023, and the Vuelta a San Juan is likely to be the biggest race of his season.

“I am super happy. I feel very grateful to all my teammates for the great work they have been doing every day. I got a nice award and I want to celebrate it with them. I have had difficult times, the end of the year was complicated, but in January I began to focus on this race. With my sports director I talked about coming here to enjoy, to have a good time with this sport that we carry in our blood. Without seeing the results. Just to enjoy," López said after his show of force.

Team Medellin-EPM grouped at the front of the peloton as the kilometres clicked down to just 14 remaining and worked to pull back a two-minute deficit to the two leaders, Manuele Tarozzi ( Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Leandro Carlos Messineo (Chimbas Te Quiero). 

With 10km to go Evenepoel made a surge at the front, only to fade quickly as Higuita led a small group that included Ineos pair Bernal and Ganna, Rubio and López across to catch Tarozzi and Messineo. Evenepoel would have to limit his losses from that point as the leaders forged clear.

With 7.5km to go, López set off solo in quest of the precious metal mined in the area. Ganna went into time trial mode but could not close the gap to López, who struck gold at the top of Alto del Colorado.

"I didn't have in mind to attack so low, I decided to do it and that's it. My idea was the sprint, in the last 500 metres. Sometimes you think about things but the cards move differently," the new race leader said.

"This victory has no message, it has come naturally to me, from the heart. This is me. I like to attack and fight. I want to dedicate it to my family: to my wife and my children and to the Medellín team for the opportunity they have given me and for opening the doors for me here, for the great welcome and reception they have given me. We are a small team but we look like WorldTour."

How it unfolded

Peter Sagan’s retirement announcement/birthday party had scarcely ended on Thursday night when a gusting wind began to sweep through San Juan, rustling jacaranda trees and rattling window panes all over the city. A heavy electrical storm broke out shortly afterwards, and when the peloton awoke on Friday morning, they found the previously-sweltering summer temperatures had dropped to something altogether more manageable for stage 5 of the Vuelta a San Juan.

Indeed, the early news filtering into town from the lofty summit of the Alto Colorado suggested that the mercury had plummeted considerably, though by early afternoon, the sun had burned off enough of the cloud cover to ensure conditions were brisk rather than bitter on the long road to the finish.

The entire outcome of the race hinged on its lone mountain stage, and at the start in Chimbas, Evenepoel warned of the collective threat posed by Ineos Grenadiers, who counted Bernal, Daniel Martínez and Ganna among their number. “They can bet on several horses, and I expect they will use a very special tactic today,” the world champion said.

A seven-man break forged clear in the early kilometres, with new king of the mountains Tarozzi eager to sweep up the points on offer before the long haul to the finish. Christofer Jurado (Panama) beat him to the top of the first ascent of Alto Villicum, however, where the escapees had over four minutes on the bunch, which was being led by Ineos and the Movistar team of ephemeral leader Fernando Gaviria.

The final 50 miles of the stage were almost entirely uphill, and the three-part climb towards the 2,623m-high summit of the Colorado began with the category 2 Baños de Talacasto, where Jurado was again first to the top. With the Panamanian drawing closer in the standings, Tarozzi struck out alone on the following Alto de la Crucecita, cresting the summit with a minute in hand on his erstwhile pursuers and five on the bunch, where Gaviria himself and Elia Viviani (Ineos) were setting the tempo.

The plateau that followed the summit of the Crucecita proper saw a considerable uptick in the intensity of the reduced peloton, with Bora-Hansgrohe, Astana and Soudal-QuickStep joining the pursuit and Tarozzi’s lead contracting accordingly. Come the base of the Colorado with 18km to go, his buffer was down to 2:45 and not even the arrival of reinforcements in the shape of Leandro Messineo (Chimbas) could prevent the inevitable.

The first major move in the group of favourites game with 14km remaining, when Medellín-EPM hit the front en masse and set a supersonic pace on behalf of López. There was no harm in asking the question of the WorldTour teams. Evenepoel answered emphatically with 10.5km, climbing from the saddle and casually ripping clear of the bunch. 

Nobody dared to go with him, but Ineos marshalled a steady pursuit with Ganna taking the reins to limit the damage, and Evenepoel was persuaded to desist with 8km to go. Moments later, López accelerated with Bernal, Ganna, Higuita and Rubio on his wheel. Evenepoel was suddenly and unexpectedly distanced, and an entirely new race began.

Results powered by FirstCycling