Committed to the competition and the show, the riders delivered more fun in fewer kilometers—the organization decided to shorten the stage due to the continuous punishment of the sun—a stage as demanding for the cyclists as it was thrilling for the spectators, with a profile packed with sawteeth where the heat did not prevent cold sweats or the Van Aert show, who achieved his fifth stage victory in the Vuelta, his second of this edition, after prevailing in a sprint among the five breakaway riders.
At the start of the Vuelta, Enric Mas joked that it wouldn't hurt him if fans put space heaters along the roadsides, given that he admitted he prefers racing under 40 degrees rather than 20°. But it wasn't necessary and even the red jersey backed down, as the scourge of the heatwave—stretching from August until now—does not abate, to the point that it was not unusual to see a teammate of Carapaz, in the middle of the climb to Loja a couple of days ago, grab a water bottle and douse the Ecuadorian, already struggling on the slopes and under the relentless sun. It turns out that the riders have discovered an opponent without a race number. The thermometer, the heat, is scorching and hovers near 40 degrees almost every day—exceeded this Sunday—a furnace on Andalusian roads. That is why the organization decided on previous days to allow greater freedom at feed zones, leading teams to triple the distribution of water bottles per stage, from around 80 to 250.
Water joins the ice vests that cyclists put on before and after their workday, in addition to frozen bags rubbed on the back of the neck, arms, and legs during the race. "If it gets hotter we will have to hold a meeting among everyone because it would be dangerous to set off," warned the leader, himself overwhelmed by the high temperatures. And his plea became reality, as the organization, mindful of the extreme temperature protocol, resolved, together with the Commissaires' Panel, team representatives, riders, and race direction, to prune Sunday's stage from 189.7 kilometers to 110.2, highly broken up and peppered with two third-category climbs and a flat finish.
The reduction of the route resulted in a most vibrant stage, hills and short steep climbs, torture for the legs, and the opening of a window of nerves and agitation because a good breakaway could find its reward if the teams failed to reach an understanding—less time to maneuver and more time for anxiety. Thus, the Vuelta director, Javier Guillén, waved the flag from the lead car, and a handful of cyclists shot off, eager for their treasure. But the peloton, for once—led primarily by Armirail for Visma, alongside the generosity of Cofidis—was not willing to give up a single centimeter to a large breakaway group, and right from the start the riders went single file, speed and more speed, giving nothing away. However, the fatigue of some and the persistence of others eager for action led to a breakaway of 11 riders.
The pace was so fast, with the peloton drawn out in a single line, that not all cyclists could keep up, as if Hansel were dropping breadcrumbs in his wake, exhausted being those who now merely survive rather than compete. But there are those with clear objectives, such as Cofidis and Visma on finishes marked for probable mass sprints; and there are those with strength left, like the 11 cyclists who launched a fruitless arm-wrestle against the world. There are also strategists, like the UAE team, which upon reaching the Puerto de Artafi decided to set the pace to wear everyone down and propel Gogl's attack, in addition to dropping sprinters, removing candidates for the final victory. And, of course, there are kamikazes like Leknessund (Uno-X), already a stage winner, who with 30 kilometers to go before the checkered flag launched a breakaway from the breakaway... Shortly after, he was joined by Debruyne (Alpecin), Nys (Lidl-Trek), and Romele (Astana), as well as Van Aert (Visma). And that was serious business, because few have the engine of the Belgian, a classicist by vocation, happy with the topography of the stage, and a champion by definition.
