Ourense (Spain) (AFP)
Belgian Tim Wellens won the 14th stage of the Vuelta on Wednesday in Orense (north-west), his second success since the start.
Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo) kept the leader's red jersey four days before the finish in Madrid.
Wellens, already winner of the 5th stage in Sabinanigo, won in an uphill sprint against his last breakaway companions.
Canadian Michael Woods took second place after 204 kilometers, Czech Zdenek Stybar third.
Aged 29, Wellens took the 30th victory of his career, his fourth in a grand tour (two stages of the Giro, two of the Vuelta).
The breakaway managed to take off after an hour of racing.
The seven riders (Arensman, Périchon, Soler, Stybar, van Baarle, Wellens, Woods) secured a margin greater than five minutes in advance before the gap narrowed slightly under the leadership of the Bora and especially Astana teams.
When the Kazakh team cut their efforts, the French Total Direct Energie took over to bring the gap to less than 2 minutes, 25 kilometers from the finish.
Without succeeding in achieving the junction with the head group.
Stybar, followed by Spaniard Marc Soler, took the lead in a downhill at the start of the last 15 kilometers.
Wellens quickly returned to the duo but the three riders were joined by the pursuers (Woods, van Baarle, Arensman) at the foot of the finish hill.
The peloton crossed the line with a delay approaching 4 minutes.
Thursday, the 15th stage, the longest of the event with 230.8 kilometers, connects Mos and Puebla de Sanabria, near the Portuguese border to the west of Castile and Leon.
© 2020 AFP