Double top ten as Aru bounces back at Vuelta

After the disappointment of the high speed crash yesterday, UAE Team Emirates came back to animate the closing kilometres of the stage 2 arrival from Benidorm to Calpe.

A group of four riders moved away in the early stages but would be reeled in as the peloton neared the final ascent. When the riders crested the final climb of the Cat.2 Alto de Pulg Llorenca (3.1km @ 8.8%) it was World Champion, Alejandro Valverde, who forced the pace reducing the bunch to a select group of 20 riders.

As they took the final descent former Vuelta España winner, Fabio Aru, slipped away in a group of six riders which would build an advantage of over 30” on the chasers. With the line drawing closer it was Nairo Quintana (Movistar) who attacked to claim a solo win with Aru sprinting home to 5th in the group of chasers 5” behind.

Tadej Pogačar, the youngest rider in the race, came home at the head of the second group on the road to claim 8th, 37” behind Quintana.

Aru (photo Bettini) on the stage: “This morning I woke up with pain due to the fall yesterday, especially at the beginning of the race my knee was bothering me, then with as the kilometers went by the situation improved.
Also in the coming days the aftermath of the fall will be felt, but I will face them with an excellent morale that comes from today’s good performance.
In the end I had some cramps as the day was very hot. Quintana made the perfect move to take the win“.

Tomorrow’s stage 3 should be a day for the sprinters with just two Cat.3 climbs and will take the riders from Ciudad del Juguete to Alicante (188km).

Stage 2 results
1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 5h11’17”
2 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Sunweb 5″
3 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Jumbo-Visma s.t.
5 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates s.t.
8 Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 37″

General classification after stage 2
1 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Sunweb 5h26’12”
2 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 2″
3 Rigobereto Uran (Col) EF 8″
14 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 1’08”