Vlasov: "An important victory for me and a great debut at BORA"

After appearing hesitant about his chances in the morning, the Russian climber capitalized on the tough conditions of the Spanish mountains to take over the lead in the Valenciana.

When Aleksandr Vlasov accelarated in the saddly within the gravel section it didn't look like, but it was the move that would end up earning him his first win with his new team. After opening the gap to Evenepoel, who later cracked, he then carved and kept the gap to his remaining rivals, taking a confident win.

"It was super steep and tough on the final climb but I like that kind of climbs. In the end I could take the win and the overall lead which I’m really happy about. I’ve seen a video of the climb and I immediately knew that I would launch my attack in those steep gravel ramps. An important victory for me and a great debut at BORA - hansgrohe. I guess that’s a good base to build on for the next goals," Vlasov said.

Directeur Sportif Jean-Pierre Heynderickx shared the sentiment: "Today we could exactly execute the plan we’ve had. Aleksandr was super strong, attacked on the gravel and took the stage win and overall lead. Unfortunately Wilco and Matthew had to leave the race today.“

A day where BORA lost two riders due to separate crashes, Wilco Kelderman and Matt Walls, but has celebrations to celebrate at the end of the day.