The Italian made the breakaway again and came close to his third podium at this edition.
In theory, stage 19 of the Spanish Grand Tour should have ended in a bunch sprint, but the undulating course, which featured three small but sharp climbs in the first part, screamed breakaway, and it was no wonder that a 25-man group went up the road soon after the start. The surprise came a couple of hours later, when despite counting only seven men following a series of attacks and holding a slender gap over the peloton, the leaders kept the chasers at bay and fought for victory in Monforte de Lemos.
Andrea Bagioli was Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s sole delegate there, but the young Italian rode a great race, remaining attentive, joining all the important moves and producing an immense effort which only increased the group’s chances of making it all the way. As they flew past the flamme rouge, the escapees still had a comfortable advantage over the chasers, and Andrea got in the mix again, showing his strong kick and taking fourth place at the end.
“It was another demanding day, which isn’t something new at this race. From the start of the stage we didn’t have a big gap over the field, but we worked well together. We rode full gas the last 25 kilometers, because the bunch was closing in rapidly, so when we arrived at the finish the legs were a bit empty and I couldn’t quite do the sprint I wanted and knew I was capable of. Nevertheless, considering that we are racing for three weeks now and how hard and wearing this Vuelta has been, to fight for a podium and get so close to it is really nice”, Andrea said after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
