La Vuelta Ciclista a España

The Spanish Grand Tour resumed after a rainy second rest day, taking the peloton to Lagos de Covadonga, the race’s mythical climb. The 12.5km Asturian ascent, which was used for the first time in 1983, made its 23rd La Vuelta appearance and seriously tested the riders, who had to overcome its punishing double-digit gradients on their way to the top.

T-Rex Quick-Step’s Mikel Landa kicked off the third week in fifth place overall, following a string of solid performances on the previous summit finishes, and the 34-year-old was again among the protagonists at the end of the gruelling stage 16. But before the GC men moved into the spotlight, a large breakaway left its mark on this day, a breakaway which also featured our Belgian neo-pro William Junior Lecerf.

Lecerf was of great help to Mikel, who was the first of the favourites to make a move on the steep slopes of Covadonga, trying to distance the others. Despite being brought to heel, the Basque tried again to open a gap, an effort which later took its toll on him, but thanks to an excellent job of William and a remarkable determination from his side, he powered through the fog and rain on this stage won by Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) to keep hold of his fifth place in the overall standings and even increase his margin over the next riders on the general classification.

“I felt that I had nothing to lose, so I tried something early, especially as the group was a small one at that point. It didn’t work, but I am content at the end of the day. I want to thank William for his effort, he helped me cut the gap to those in front thanks to an immense pull. There are still a couple of hard stages left until Madrid and I am keen on trying again, because you never know where this can take you on the general classification”, an upbeat Mikel explained after the stage.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images