Vuelta 2019 – Final Stage

More wins for Quickstep as Fabio Jakobsen wins the final stage of the Veulta in Madrid whilst after a brilliantly exciting race, Primoz Roglic wins his first Grand Tour

Vuelta 2019 – Final Stage

Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) made the most of his pure speed to snatch a prestigious stage win in Madrid. The young Dutch national champion out-sprinted the Irish national champion Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) to claim his second Grand Tour victory. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) made it safely to the line to become the first Slovenian rider to win a Grand Tour, ahead of the World champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) and another Slovenian, the 20 yo wunderkind Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team) was deemed the most aggressive rider of the race.

The sun greeted the riders as a 153-man peloton rolled out from Fuenlabrada in the afternoon on the final race of the 2019 Vuelta. The 50km leading to Madrid was an opportunity for the riders to celebrate their achievements after three weeks of hard racing. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), set to win La Vuelta, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), 2nd on GC, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), 3rd overall and best young rider, and Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R La Mondiale), King of the Mountains, shared a beer. Jesus Ezquerra (Burgos-BH) successfully proposes to his girlfriend.

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The intensity picked up as the race entered Madrid, with nine 5.8km laps to go along some of the most prestigious venues of the Spanish capital. Riders tried their luck as soon as the peloton crossed the finish line for the first time. But with a very high pace, it was hard to build any gap that stuck.

Daniel Martinez (EF Education First) and Diego Rubio (Burgos-BH) got off the front with 43km to go whilst Deceuninck-Quick Step, Bora-Hansgrohe and UAE Team Emirates worked together to control the gap around 20”. The two attackers were caught with 7km to go and Deceuninck-Quick Step then set up the sprint and Fabio Jakobsen delivered with the stage victory ahead of Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe).

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REACTIONS

Primoz Roglic: “I am very happy. I have no words for this”, Roglic said. “It gives an indescribable feeling. This victory is not only my most beautiful win, but it is also the biggest win for cycling in Slovenia. It has been three difficult and tough weeks with many ups and downs. The many crashes and setbacks especially made it mentally difficult. There were several important moments as there was a lot happening every day. We had to be riding attentively and focused every day. As a team, we have shown resilience. I am proud of the team, the way we have fought the past three weeks. Everyone has given 110 percent, and that also gave me extra motivation to fully go for it. I am relieved that we have been able to bring this to an close successfully. Now we are going to enjoy it, and then we will focus on our next goals.”

Alejandro Valverde: “I’m really satisfied with this Vuelta. I didn’t even dare to dream about a second place overall before the start of the race; maybe just about winning a stage, but never to get onto the podium. I’m super happy, it’s something incredible after 16 years, so many years fighting at the highest level, and finishing second this time. So I’m super happy. It’s been a very beautiful La Vuelta and… Maybe the worst moment was the crash and the misunderstandings that followed. I think I’ll be in good condition at the World Championships. We’ll have a very strong team, we’re getting together in Alicante next week and so I hope to enjoy some good days with my team-mates before travelling to Yorkshire. We’ve got to be realistic: it will be more of an open race, and our chances will be smaller than in Austria.”

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates): “It’s incredible with lots of fans from Slovenia and my family. It’s crazy to be on the podium of La Vuelta with everyone. [Primoz Roglic and Alejandro Valverde] are incredibly strong guys, guys with the biggest results, and to be next to them is unbelievable. These last three weeks have been incredible. The whole UAE team has supported me really well to get to this point and I owe a lot of thanks to them. To finish on the podium in the Vuelta is unbelievable and to be able to do it next to the World Champion and Primoz Roglic is even more amazing. A lot of friends and family have come from home to see me in Madrid so for me this day was the perfect end to an amazing three weeks for me and for the team.”

Fabio Jakobsen: “This is the biggest moment of my career so far. To win here, in the Dutch Champion jersey, is very special, but it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates, to whom I am extremely grateful not just for today, but also for helping me make it through these tough three weeks. This win gives me a lot of happiness, I really can’t put it into words. I’m over the moon knowing that I will leave this brutal race with two victories in the bag!”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to arrive to Madrid. I suffered a lot in these three weeks, it was very hard, but I kept going and I’m glad to be here now. The first victory brought a huge relief, because it took off the pressure just four days into the race, while today’s success was completely unexpected. The guys were again fantastic, controlling the break and bringing me to the front when it mattered. All I had to do was follow Max and launch my sprint at the right moment, and on the line, I even threw my bike just for good measure.”

Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team): “I am happy with the way I did this Vuelta a España. I was able to come here in a good shape and during all three weeks I was keeping on attacking. I did my best in all mountain stages as well as in time trials, so I have no regrets. Indeed, once again I had a bad luck in a few decisive moments as at that stage in Andorra or two days ago in Toledo. But I just left it behind me, thinking only about good moments in this race. I had a great team around me, and I want to thank all Astana Pro Team for the trust and fantastic support during the race.

As a team, I think, we made a great cycling show at La Vuelta and we can be proud with it. Of course, I would be much happier if I reach the final podium, because I was ready for that result. Well, I am 5th in the general classification and I am looking at this like at a reason to come here again for a better result!– said Miguel Angel Lopez, who was awarded as the most combative rider of La Vuelta 2019.

Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R La Mondiale) KoM: “I came to the race a bit like a spectator. And in the end, to climb on the podium in Madrid with this crowd, it’s awesome. The jersey wasn’t a goal at the beginning, it came as the race went on. It’s great to have come through. I arrived quite late, I needed to prove I deserve to be a professional. It’s a first success and it motivates me to keep working and improving to get victories and other interesting results.”

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Stage 21
1 Fabio Jakobsen Deceuninck – Quick Step 02:48:20
2 Sam Bennett Bora – Hansgrohe
3 Szymon Sajnok CCC Team
4 Jon Aberasturi Izaga Caja Rural – Seguros RGA
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Dimension Data
6 Edward Theuns Trek – Segafredo
7 Tosh Van der Sande Lotto – Soudal
8 Clement Venturini AG2R La Mondiale
9 Marc Sarreau Groupama – FDJ
10 Dion Smith Mitchelton – Scott
11 Maximiliano Richeze Deceuninck – Quick Step
12 John Degenkolb Trek – Segafredo
13 Omar Fraile Astana Pro Team
14 Fernando Gaviria UAE Team Emirates
15 Max Walscheid Team Sunweb
16 Yukiya Arashiro Bahrain – Merida
17 Cyril Barthe Euskadi Basque – Murias
18 Vyacheslav Kuznetsov Team Katusha – Alpecin
19 Alejandro Valverde Movistar Team
20 José Joaquin Rojas Movistar Team
21 Imanol Erviti Movistar Team
22 Miguel Angel Lopez Astana Pro Team
23 Marc Soler Movistar Team
24 Rafal Majka Bora – Hansgrohe
25 Luis León Sánchez Astana Pro Team

26 Tadej Pogacar UAE Team Emirates
35 Nairo Quintana Movistar Team
36 Wilco Kelderman Team Sunweb
37 Esteban Chaves Mitchelton – Scott
44 James Knox Deceuninck – Quick Step @ 14
51 Ian Stannard Team Ineos
75 Primoz Roglic Team Jumbo – Visma
101 Tao Geoghegan Hart Team Ineos
114 Philippe Gilbert Deceuninck – Quick Step
124 Owain Doull Team Ineos

FINAL OVERALL
1 Primoz Roglic Team Jumbo – Visma 83:07:31
2 Alejandro Valverde Movistar Team @ 02:16
3 Tadej Pogacar UAE Team Emirates @ 02:38
4 Nairo Quintana Movistar Team @ 03:29
5 Miguel Angel Lopez Astana Pro Team @ 04:31
6 Rafal Majka Bora – Hansgrohe @ 07:16
7 Wilco Kelderman Team Sunweb @ 09:47
8 Carl Fredrik Hagen Lotto – Soudal @ 12:54
9 Marc Soler Movistar Team @ 22:10
10 Mikel Nieve Mitchelton – Scott @ 22:17
11 James Knox Deceuninck – Quick Step @ 22:52
12 Dylan Teuns Bahrain – Merida @ 23:49
13 Jakob Fuglsang Astana Pro Team @ 26:32
14 Sergio Higuita EF Education First @ 32:17
15 Hermann Pernsteiner Bahrain – Merida @ 33:23
16 Ion Izagirre Astana Pro Team @ 42:00
17 Ruben Guerreiro Team Katusha – Alpecin @ 42:05
18 Nicolas Edet Cofidis, Solutions Credits @ 46:07
19 Esteban Chaves Mitchelton – Scott @ 52:46
20 Tao Geoghegan Hart Team Ineos @ 01:04:04
21 Killian Frankiny Groupama – FDJ @ 01:11:42
22 Oscar Rodriguez Euskadi Basque – Murias @ 01:13:14
23 Luis León Sánchez Astana Pro Team @ 01:16:52
24 François Bidard AG2R La Mondiale @ 01:25:44
25 Ben O’Connor Team Dimension Data @ 01:25:53