A pretty calm day before the final mountain test of the race.
Guijuelo was visited again by the peloton, for the first time since 1990, the year of the first stage finish that took place in the small town located in the province of Salamanca. It was a quiet day for the field, who didn’t have to work too hard in order to bring back the breakaway, as this consisted of just one rider, whose maximum gap reached three minutes.
The only nervous moment of the race came 50 kilometers from the line, when many of the GC teams moved to the front of the peloton as soon as the wind picked up, hoping to split the group in the crosswinds. Things quickly calmed down and the bunch prepared for the mass gallop in Guijuelo, on a 3.1% average gradient which favoured the pure sprinters, but also those carrying a bit of punch.
After a hectic finale, the victory went to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Junior Lecerf, who sits 11th on the GC after a series of impressive displays in Spain, was also the first member of T-Rex Quick-Step to cross the line. Now, the riders will prepare for the final summit finish of this edition, which will take the peloton on the steep slopes of Bola del Mundo.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
