"The legs were on fire" - Victor Campenaerts left frustrated despite repeated late attacks on stage 17 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana

Victor Campenaerts continues to search for a Vuelta a Espana stage win that would complete his Grand Tour set. On stage 17 of the 2024 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour, Campenaerts was bright and attacking in the finale but ultimately without reward.

“As Arnaud De Lie would say: 'Les jambes en feu' - 'the legs were on fire'," laughed the Lotto Dstny star in his post stage interview afterwards. With 15km to go and despite having a teammate in the breakaway which still led the race, Campenaerts launched a first attack from the peloton. Ultimately though, the Belgian was not given any leeway. Then, immediately following the break's capture however, the counter attacks started up once more, led by Mauro Schmid, Enzo Leijnse and Campenaerts again. Although the trio lasted into the final kilometre, victory was not forthcoming. 

“I don't really know what Mauro Schmid did... If the peloton hadn't come back, I would have had to buy him a nice pint in Madrid. You can never win a race that way," Campenaerts continues. "The man from Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL (Leijnse, ed.) was going to launch me a bit better, but the peloton came very close."

And so, the wait for a Vuelta a Espana stage win goes on for Campenaerts. "I was incredibly frustrated today, in everything. We didn't quite execute the tactics we had. And then I was still close. It is what it is," the Lotto Dstny star concludes. "Tomorrow is a new chance. I feel good. And if Mauro Schmid wants to give me another lead-out like that, he should say so in advance.”