Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Serge Pauwels was the top OPQS finisher in the first true mountain stage of La Vuelta a España: 166.6km Stage 8 on Saturday.
Pauwels finished 38th as the peloton exploded on the final climb, Alto de Peñas Blancas (14.5km, 6.6% average gradient, 12.5% max ramp). Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) found the right opportunity to attack an already splintered peloton with 4.2km to go, and within the final kilometer it appeared he might have enough of a gap on just a handful of chasers to win the stage. However, Leopold Konig (Team NetApp-Endura) attacked out of the chase group and was on his way to bridging with 700m to go. In just the final meters, Konig caught and dropped Anton, eventually winning the stage solo. The other chasers also caught Anton, and Daniel Moreno (Katusha Team) was 2nd. Nicolas Roche (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) was 3rd.
Kevin De Weert of OPQS entered into the original breakaway of the day, but that break eventually was down to just a couple riders before it was neutralized with about 10km to go on the final climb.
OPQS looks next to a 163.7km Stage 9 on Sunday.
"I also tried to jump in the breakaway at the beginning — Kevin made it, and I didn't," Pauwels said. "I tried to stay with the group of the favorites to see how my shape was in function of the next days. I was a bit tired, maybe not 100 percent. But at the end when I lost contact I simply kept my tempo with a small group and went to the finish. Overall I think my first week of La Vuelta was really good, but it was especially good for the team. It was good for us and we have high morale now. We have a few chances next week and also the last week. We will try to do something good with great motivation."
"Today was the first day we didnt have a specific task, like working for the sprint or putting someone in the best position to win," De Weert said. "We decided to enter in the breakaway and I did it. At the beginning of the race it was really high speed but I took the right breakaway in the final. I tried my best to stick with the breakaway but it really wasn't so easy. I think I paid a bit for all the effort during the first week of racing, working for the team in function of my teammates. But OK, I am happy about my shape. It probably wasn't my best day to enter into a breakaway but some days you can't choose. You are there, so you go until the end and you try 100 percent."