Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe lose leader's jersey in Andalucia, but their motivation doesn't fade: "We can ride a bit more offensively now"
Cycling
Maxim Van Gils was unable to fend off attacks on the second stage of Vuelta a Andalucia and surrendered his leader's jersey to Pavel Sivakov.
"Today was actually a good day, we fought hard," Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe DS Bernhard Eisel summed up in a press release. "Maxim was only 300 meters short of catching up at the top of the climb, which really wasn't much. Maybe we were also missing the seventh man a bit here."
We could see that Van Gils was visibly frustrated when he found himself in the second group after last climb. Particularly since he was stuggling to find cooperation with teammates of riders up front. "Maxim was a little disappointed at the finish, but he's doing well so far. And as he just said to me: 'We've already won a stage, but today it wasn't quite enough'."
A stage win was the goal with which the team had traveled to the Ruta del Sol. "And a top 5 result with Maxim in the overall classification which we aimed for is by far not out of reach,” says Eisel. Van Gils is currently fourth and also wears the green jersey in the points classification.
The profile will calm down a little on the next two stages. But since Van Gils and Tim Wellens (5th) share the same time in GC, the bonus seconds awarded on the Golden Kilometer could turn up the heat a little bit.
Finally, the fifth stage which starts from Benahavís with a 20-kilometer climb will provide opportunities to launch attacks for riders who are not fully satisfied with the situation in general classification. "There will also be a lot of action at the start of stage 5, even if it gets flat at the end," Eisel knows very well. "So we'll continue to be motivated here, maybe we can ride a bit more offensively."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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