The young Belgian rolled home in fifth position after another hard day in the saddle.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl was omnipresent during Friday’s stage 3 of the Vuelta a Andalucia, helping with the chase behind the breakaway and later showing its offensive intentions. As soon as the escapees were swept by the furious pack, a flurry of attacks came on an unclassified climb.
With his unmistakable style, Mauri Vansevenant got involved in several moves, one of these leaving only five men in the lead, including the 22-year-old Belgian from Oostende. As several groups were spread across the road, Vansevenant sensed there was an opportunity to try something and that he did, but his companions reacted immediately and brought him back. A lull at the front allowed others to join the party, including the best-placed Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in the GC, Dries Devenyns.
The experienced Belgian even attacked at one point, hoping to surprise the others, in the closing kilometers of the stage to Otura, but it was soon all together again. The stage win went to Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), while Mauri continued to show a lot of heat by getting involved in the sprint and taking fifth. The result moved him in the top 20 overall, where Dries remained in a strong fourth with two stages to go.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
