Jelle Wallays earned a surprise breakaway victory on stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana as Peter Sagan and his fellow sprinters failed to take advantage of a flat route.
Lotto Soudal rider Wallays was one of three alongside Sven Erik Bystrom and Jetse Bol to set the initial pace with still over 175 kilometres of the 186.1km route from Ejea de los Caballeros to Lleida remaining.
Advertisement
As the race neared its conclusion, the expected cavalry soon arrived with Wallays and Bystrom working in tandem to try and hold the chasing pack at bay.
Sprint king Sagan made his move from a long way back in order to try and gun down the leaders, but it was a case of too little too late as Wallays overhauled Bystrom in a thrilling finish to earn a first Grand Tour stage victory.
Overall leader Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) will be content with a relatively sedate day ahead of more gruelling challenges, with nearest rival Alejandro Valverde's attempts at gaining a few bonus seconds in the closing metres proved fruitless.
JELLE LEAVES SPRINTERS FEELING LIKE WALLAYS
Thursday's route was supposed to be a prime opportunity for the sprinters to earn a stage win after a week of few opportunities.
But the fine work of Bystrom and Wallays earned a deserved victory for the latter, who revelled in his moment in the sun.
"I think everyone was expecting a mass sprint, but I had a crash after the first rest day, and I had something in my mind to do something in a stage, and one was this stage," he said.
"Everyone expected a mass sprint, but I know if I'm good I can surprise many riders, and today I did it.
"I worked very hard to be selected for the Tour de France, that was for me no selection, and I worked very hard through La Vuelta for a stage victory, and here it is. For me, it's fantastic."
STAGE RESULT
1. Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal) 3:57.03
2. Sven Erik Bystrom (UAE Team Emirates)
3. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)
4. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)
5. Ivan Garcia Cortina (Bahrain-Merida)
CLASSIFICATIONS
General Classification
1. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) 73:02.37
2. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +0:25s
3. Enric Mas (Quick-Step Floors) +1:22s
Points Classification
1. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 117 points
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 99 points
3. Dylan Teuns (BMC Racing) 93 points
King of the Mountains
1. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) 74 points
2. Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) 64 points
3. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 60 points
UP NEXT
After a flat Thursday, Yates is sure to have his resolve tested again on stage 19 as the Vuelta nears its conclusion. A rolling route that is full of a false flats with keep everyone on their toes before the day culminates in a 17.5km ascent to Naturladia in Andorra, which will be a test on the legs after nearly three weeks of racing.
