UAE Team Emirates rider Marc Soler fought off a group chase by some big names to take a solo win at the Vuelta a España Stage 5. The race started on 24th August, 202 on Wednesday, and was full of surprises. One is that Marc was initially nowhere near the breakaway when it happened but still managed to take the win.
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Soler launched an attack on the final climb of the day while chasing the breakaway from behind. His timing was perfect and it allowed him to hold on to a small gap between him and the group. He maintained this gap all the way to the finish line. Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) and aryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) closed in 4 seconds behind the winner. The rest of the group followed suit.
The general classification was also affected. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) had to hand over the red jersey just a day after winning it. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) became the new holder of the leader’s jersey following the stage 5 results. Although it has just been a year since Molard suffered a horrible crash at the Vuelta, the crash left him with punctured lungs. Still, Molard seems in good hopes to try to give his best. Nevertheless, he is quite unsure if he can reach his previous high-performing self.
Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ) was the first one to launch an attack while on their way to the tough uphill track. He managed to gain a lead of 35 seconds, while Soler struggled at the back. But Soler recovered quickly to attack 2.5 km before reaching the top. He passed Steward and created his winning gap.
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The red jersey changing shoulders so quickly was not the only highlight of the day as the polka-dot jersey has also changed its owners. Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) now leads the mountain classification which means that he will be seen in the classification jersey from now onwards. Groupama-FDJ has made its way to the top in the team ranking.
Results
| POS | RIDER | TEAM | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Marc Soler | UAE Team Emirates | 04:15:23 |
| 02 | Daryl Impey | Israel-Premier Tech | + 04 |
| 03 | Fred Wright | Bahrain Victorious | + 04 |
| 04 | Rudy Molard | Groupama-FDJ | + 04 |
| 05 | Lawson Craddock | Team BikeExchange-Jayco | + 04 |
| 06 | Nikias Arndt | Team DSM | + 04 |
| 07 | Victor Langellotti | Burgos-BH | + 04 |
| 08 | Vadim Pronskiy | Astana Qazaqstan Team | + 04 |
| 09 | Gregor Muhlberger | Movistar Team | + 04 |
| 10 | Roger Adriá | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 04 |
Also Read: Jonas Vingegaard Confirms Racing Schedule
Featured Image Via YouTube/ UAE Team Emirates
