All our riders completed the dantesque stage 17.
One of cycling’s most daunting climbs, Lagos de Covadonga made its 22nd appearance at La Vuelta, 38 years after being tackled for the first time on a stage won by Marino Lejarreta on his way to the overall podium. Wednesday, the 12.5km Asturian ascent featured at the end of the 185.8km rain-lashed stage 17 that had a significant impact on the general classification.
Despite a large group getting clear on the second of the day’s four ranked climbs, it turned out to be a stage for the red jersey favourites, who caught the escapees and launched their attacks more than 60 kilometers from the finish, only adding to the chaos created by the bad weather, which resulted in crashes and some big gaps.
For Fabio Jakobsen it was all about making it inside the time limit and continuing his dream Vuelta a España, where he won three stages so far. The 25-year-old Dutchman beat the cut by plenty of minutes to spare, thanks to another impressive collective effort of his Deceuninck – Quick-Step teammates, and continues to hold a buffer of more than 100 points over his nearest opponent in the classification.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
