T-Rex Quick-Step’s Belgian reduced the gap separating him from the top ten overall.
The mythical Angliru, a climb discovered by la Vuelta in 1999, returned on the route at the end of Friday’s stage. Averaging 10.5% over 12.5 kilometers, the draining Asturian climb made its tenth presence on the route of the season’s last Grand Tour and ended up being an affair between the general classification contenders.
Before the favourites took center stage, a breakaway featuring Gianmarco Garofoli was in the spotlight. The young Italian was one of the strongest riders in the leading group, remaining at the front until 25 kilometers to go, when a depleted peloton caught him. T-Rex Quick-Step had two men there, Mikel Landa and Junior Lecerf, and the Basque did an impressive pace-setting to help his much younger teammate remain in the elite group on the gruelling slopes of the Angliru.
Despite losing contact with the small bunch eight kilometers from the finish, when the punishing gradients and the relentless tempo sparked a selection, the 22-year-old didn’t panic and rode to the beat of his own drum, pacing his effort smartly on the slopes which reached 23% at one point. Lecerf concluded not far from the top ten – an impressive result on one of cycling’s hardest climbs – and retained his place in the overall standings top 15. For the Belgian, another important test will follow on Friday, when the race tackles the Lagos de Somiedo climb.
“I felt good from the start of the stage and the team did a great job protecting me and making sure I was in a good position. It’s frustrating that I crashed, but with the help of Max I managed to return to the pack. Mikel was also important on the early slopes of the Angliru, and then, I just rode without going into the red. I am happy with my result here and I look forward to the upcoming stages”, Junior explained at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
