James Knox remains the highest-ranked Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider on the GC.
A multiple stage winner at the Spanish Grand Tour, Philippe Gilbert was keen on joining the breakaway on Friday, when the bunch travelled to Mas de la Costa, a punishing climb making just its third appearance at the race. The Paris-Roubaix champion attacked once Rémi Cavagna’s early move came to an end, and joined by nine other men, built a four-minute advantage on the first part of satge 7.
A rider whose experience in the World Tour is second to none, Gilbert brought his contribution in the breakaway, putting in some solid pulls as the group tackled the rugged terrain of Aragon, but at the same time dosed his effort seeing that some of the riders were skipping turns. When the lack of cohesion went up in smoke, Philippe pulled clear together with Sergio Henao (UAE Team Emirates) on Puerto del Salto del Caballo, the penultimate climb of the day.
Unfortunately for the duo, the red jersey group didn’t want to gift the stage to the escapees for the third consecutive day, and so they reeled in Philippe and his companion on the early slopes of Mas de la Costa, the insane “wall” boasting a 22% maximum gradient at the top of which Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) emerged victorious, while Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) moved back into the leader’s jersey.
“We knew our gap wasn’t enough to go for victory today, so I made sure of saving some energy, especially when noticing that others weren’t so willing to help. When we heard that the GC guys rode hard behind us, we knew we were doomed, as at the start of a climb like Mas de la Costa you need 3-4 minutes to stand a chance, whereas we had 20 seconds. It was a good day in the break, and despite things not working out, we will continue to try”, Philippe explained.
It wasn’t an easy day also for James Knox; the 23-year-old – who is racing his second Grand Tour of the season – crashed with around 55 kilometers to go; despite this setback and losing some skin, he was able to conclude the stage and keep his place in the standings, and will now continue his odyssey, which on Saturday will take the bunch to the small town of Igualada.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
