01/09/2022

Vuelta a Espana: Richard Carapaz makes a comeback with dashing stage 12 climbing win

INEOS Grenadiers did not sustain an easy first 11 days of racing, with three of their leaders sustaining heavy losses or abandon at some point. Richard Carapaz however made up for his absent first week at the Vuelta a Espana, to take the win in the summit finish at Peñas Blancas.

With the three top teams down to few support riders, the breakaway had high chances of succeeding in the day. This has led to a high pace in the start of the stage, and a group with a total of 32 riders going up the road including several world-class climbers, but no threat in the GC - with Wilco Kelderman and Jan Polanc within approximately 15 minutes of Remco Evenepoel's lead.

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Everything remained rather calm until the final climb, despite Remco Evenepoel coming down in the peloton, although with no consequence. The break entered the final climb with 10 minutes of lead, and Matteo Fabbro led almost the entirety of the ascent to favour Wilco Kelderman's GC raid.

Élie Gesbert started the decisive set of attacks within the final kilometers, twice making moves which severely split the group to just four riders. Richard Carapaz was however the best of them, attacking inside the final two kilometers and flying into a much worked for win, one very important to the Ecuadorian. Wilco Kelderman has climbed into second place on the day, whilst Marc Soler brough himself back up to third place.

In the peloton both Jumbo-Visma and Movistar set the pace early in the ascent so as to test Remco Evenepoel later in the ascent. Enric Mas tried on two occasions to distance the Belgian but with no result, with Miguel Ángel López the only rider being able to immediately respond to the first move. Evenepoel took over the pace in the final two kilometers of the climb after the attacks were neutralized, and led the thinned down GC group into the line with an acceleration in the last few hundred meters, which didn't create further difference in the GC fight.