After three first stages without difficulty in the Netherlands and a day of rest, the arrival of the Vuelta in the Basque Country coincided with the first hilly course of this 2022 edition. front row including Primoz Roglic, forced to retire from the Tour last month following a fall.

Banco for the Jumbo rider: if the ascent of Puerto de Herrera, about twenty kilometers from the finish, did not give rise to any fight at the head of the peloton, Roglic placed the decisive attack in the bump final, after the red flame, none of his rivals managing to come back to his height.

At the end of the 152.5 km, the 32-year-old Slovenian won his 10th stage victory on the Vuelta, ahead of the Dane Mads Pedersen on the line, whose Trek-Segafredo team had provided most of the train in the last climb, and the Spaniard from Movistar, Enric Mas.

Roglic vs Alaphilippe

Thanks to the bonuses – 10 seconds at the finish and three seconds at the top of Puerto de Herrera – Roglic now has a 13-second lead overall over his main lieutenant, the American Sepp Kuss.

An Ineos trio - the British Ethan Hayder and Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the Frenchman Pavel Sivakov - follows at 26 seconds.

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Victim of a break, the leader of Ineos, the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, on the other hand, gives up an additional seven seconds on the line, which he only crosses in 24th position.

Wearing the red jersey from Vitoria, the Italian Edoardo Affini (Jumbo) quickly let go in the Puerto de Herrera, a 3rd category pass (7.3 km at 4.8%), and finished the stage more than 14 minutes behind its leader.

On the French side, in the heavy heat of the interior of the Basque Country, Julian Alaphilippe shot the first arrow in the final bump, but could not resist against Roglic.

The world champion finished in a modest 51st place, 28 seconds behind.

Great performances, on the other hand, for Quentin Pacher (FDJ) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos), who finish in the wake of the Slovenian champion, in 4th and 5th positions.

On Wednesday, the Vuelta is gaining momentum and the profile of the 5th stage between Irun and Bilbao should make it possible to confirm or invalidate the first trends, with a 187.2 km route punctuated by five 2nd and 3rd category climbs.

© 2022 AFP