"Sepp Kuss closed me and I was dead" - Marc Soler comes up just short with thrilling late attack on stage 7 at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana
Cycling
Marc Soler was one of the main protagonists of the thrilling finale to the seventh stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. The UAE Team Emirates rider attacked on the descent of the Alto del 14%, the only categorized climb of the day, but was caught only 3.5km from the finish line.
After crossing the finish line in 59th position, 1:27 behind the group of favourites, the Spaniard spoke to the microphones of TVE analysing what the day had given, what happened in the 6th stage and what has to happen from now for his teammate Joao Almeida to to close the gap to leader Ben O'Connor.
"Well, the truth is that I tried, I gave my best and it was not possible. I was controlling, the group was very small and I decided to try seeing that there were few people to work but well, someone else always works and well, Kuss has closed me, I was dead and that's it," he said about his attack.
"Well, we were surprised by BORA, then later we tried to put ourselves but the truth is that yesterday there was a lot of punishment. The intention was to put some rider in the breakaway to be calmer but then he took a lot of time and in the end he made an exhibition and no one could close him," he commented about stage 6.
"It's getting very hot, it looks like it's going smoothly but there's a lot of wear and tear in this heat and we'll see. I think tomorrow will be a hard stage again and on Sunday there will be big differences again," he concluded on the keys to reduce Ben O'Connor's lead.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Ben23-08-20245
Brilliant Kuss.
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Selfless Kuss caught Soler with 4 km to go. He didn't save his legs for the mountains but worked full-gas for WVA instead. A rare breed. #LaVuelta24
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