While Jonas Vingegaard secured a stage victory at the Volta ao Algarve in February, it’s worth noting that event is classified as a 2.Pro.
Jonas Vingegaard has claimed his first World Tour victory in over a year, triumphing over Giulio Ciccone in a compelling stage two of the Vuelta a Espana.
The two-time Tour de France champion’s last top-tier win was stage 11 of the previous year’s Tour.
However, on a challenging, rain-soaked 10km ascent to the finish, the Visma–Lease a Bike rider outpaced Italian climber Ciccone in a final sprint in Limone, Italy.
This victory also placed race favorite Vingegaard in the red jersey, taking the lead from overnight leader Jasper Philipsen, who struggled in the final stretch.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock responded to Felix Gall’s attack near the misty summit finish, but Ciccone and Vingegaard surged past in the final 100m, with Vingegaard taking the win by a mere wheel’s width.
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Sunday’s stage marked the second of four starting in Italy before the Vuelta moves to Spain. Despite it being early in the race, Vingegaard stated: “You’re not going to let a stage win pass so when I saw the opportunity, of course I’ll take it.
“It’s been a while since my last victory so I’m super happy with how I felt, how the team did, and also to have the red jersey.”
Vingegaard elaborated: “I went on [Ciccone’s] wheel and, to be honest, before the [final] corner I didn’t think that it would be possible to pass him, but from the corner on it was longer to the finish than I thought so then I could pass him.”
The 157km flat stage from Alba culminated in a nearly 10km climb with an average gradient exceeding 5%.
Rain fell on a cool day of 20C, and Pidcock and Vingegaard were among those who slipped on a roundabout near the base of the final ascent.
“I went down pretty hard, but it seems like I didn’t hurt myself too bad,” said Vingegaard.
“I have a bit of bruising, but I think because it was so slippery I was sliding more, so I didn’t get any bad road rash or anything.”
Pidcock commented: “I’ve got be happy with how I rode. I think I always need a few days to get into a race. We committed, I didn’t have the legs, but we’ll try again another time.”
On Monday, the riders face a challenging all-day ascent on a short but winding 138.5km route to Ceres in the Graian Alps.
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What do different colour jerseys mean at Vuelta?
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma–Lease a Bike) 3hrs 47mins 14secs
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl-Trek) Same time
3. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama–FDJ)
4. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers)
5. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +2secs
6. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) Same time
7. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull–Bora Hansgrohe)
8. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
9. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma–Lease a Bike)
10. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling)
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma–Lease a Bike) 7hrs 56mins 16secs
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl-Trek) +4secs
3. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama–FDJ) +6secs
4. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +10secs
5. Tom Pidcock (GB/Q36.5 Pro Cycling) +12secs
6. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull–Bora Hansgrohe) Same time
7. Santiago Buitrago (Col/Bahrain Victorious)
8. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma–Lease a Bike)
9. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
10. Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates-XRG)