Madrid (AFP)
The calm, long, on the 166 kilometers of this second stage of the Tour of Spain on Sunday, preceded the storm and a first massive sprint won on the wire by the Belgian Jasper Philipsen, Roglic keeping the red jersey.
At 23, one of the favorites of this stage reserved for sprinters responded, as did Fabio Jakobsen, who lacked nothing to win.
Behind, Arnaud Démare, who made his first Vuelta, and in search of redemption after a disappointing Tour de France, finished only 14th.
Michael Matthews completes the podium of the day.
On this Sunday, for this stage between Caleruega and Burgos, Philipsen achieved the double blow.
A second stage victory in the Vuelta, a year after the first, and the assurance of leaving this evening with the green jersey of the best sprinter on your back.
"It was a dream but I didn't want to think about it. It shows how motivated everyone in the team is," relished the 23-year-old, a few minutes after his arrival.
During the Tour de France already, he had arrived in the top three six times.
The Belgian Jasper Philipsen (d) wins the 2nd stage of the Vuelta, run between Caleruega and Burgos, August 15, 2021 ANDER GILLENEA AFP
"I already had to do a sprint to get back into the wheel of my teammates before the final sprint. Philipsen had a little more juice", analyzed Jakobsen for his part at the microphone of Eurosport.
Roglic always sees red
The red jersey will remain on the shoulders of Primoz Roglic, who is now 4 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alex Aranburu, who finished 2nd in the intermediate sprint (17 kilometers away) and 5th in the stage.
Slovenian Primoz Roglic, red jersey leader of the Vuelta, after the 2nd stage, August 15, 2021 played between Caleruega and Burgos ANDER GILLENEA AFP
If the sky was cloudless throughout the day, this second stage was also calm for a long time.
For a while, the Spanish trio Diego Rubio, Sergio Roman Martin and Xabier Mikel Azparren, formed the breakaway of the day, before being finally swallowed by a little behind the peloton.
Everything was finally packed in the last kilometers, with first a fall 4 kilometers from the finish.
If some riders lost time - like the Briton Adam Yates, 31 seconds - it was of no consequence for the front sprinters who in the end offered themselves a bitter battle.
But it was Philipsen who could raise his arms.
This is the third victory for Alpecin-Fenix in a massive sprint after those of Tim Merlier on the Giro and the Tour de France.
Monday, the third stage will be synonymous with the return of the mountain.
202.8 kilometers await the riders between Santo Domingo de Silos and Picon Blanco with two category 3 difficulties.
© 2021 AFP