On Tuesday in Valladolid, along the 25.8 km of a very flat race, the Fleming has an important opportunity. He will have the new Shiv TT model from Specialized with the colors of the rainbow. “Never made such a high-performance bike”, assures the US manufacturer. What a challenge with Olympic champion Roglic and Vingegaard
Remco Evenepoel is not hiding. He has never done it, let alone now that he will be able to run his first time trial with the world champion’s jersey. On Tuesday in Valladolid, after the first rest day of the Vuelta, the 23-year-old Flemish will play an important part of his chances of winning back the Spanish race in the 25.8km time trial. A flat test, just 114 meters in altitude, and he will again challenge Pippo Ganna, the two-time world champion who he defeated at the World Championships in Stirling in Scotland a month ago after a very tight duel for 12″ over 47.8 km at an average of 51.847 km/h!.
The words “It will be a time trial of 27-28 minutes and there will be differences of even half a minute – explains the 23-year-old Flemish champion of Soudal-Quick Step -. This is a very important day for me. Not necessarily the most important, but I want I prepared well for the time trial”. The challenge is very tempting: in addition to Ganna, there will be the Olympic champion of the time trial, Primoz Roglic, and Jonas Vingegaard, another specialist against the clock: in the time trial of the Tour he dug the first, decisive advantage over Pogacar.
The bike And for this first round as world champion, Evenepoel will have a brand new Specialized, Shiv TT model, with the colors of the rainbow. A bike born after an infinite number of hours in the wind tunnel: the American manufacturer assures that “over a distance of 40 km it allows the Fleming to save 26. It is the most aerodynamic time trial bike we have ever made – explain the technicians of the Specialized – Incredible aerodynamic penetration and an incomparable quality of rolling, with the icing of the Royal disc wheels”.
The race The Vuelta restarts with the American Sepp Kuss in the red jersey and this is precisely the most feared test by the phenomenal climber of the Jumbo-Visma, indispensable for the victories of Vingegaard in the 2022 and 2023 Tour, and of Roglic in the 2023 Giro: then the Vuelta for him it will be downhill with three uphill finishes this week, including the iconic Tourmalet on Friday (from the Bareges side, not the more traditional La Mongie one), and Angliru in the final week.
The ranking: 1. Sepp KUSS (USA, Jumbo-Visma) 35.23’30”; 2. Marc Soler (Spa, Uae) at 43”; 3. Lenny Martinez (Fra, Groupama-Fdj) at 1’02”; 4. Evenepoel (Bel) at 2’22”; 5. Landa (Spa) at 2’29”; 6. Roglic (Slo); 7. Vingegaard (Dan) at 2’33”; 8.Mas (Spa); 9. Ayuso (Spa) at 2’43”; 10. Almeida (Por) at 2’55”; 12. Vlasov (Rus) at 3’51”; 22. Thomas (Gb) at 12’34”; 27. Caruso at 21’19”.l
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Time trial starting order: the first to start will be the Australian Scotson at 14.01. The best: 15.09 Ganna, 16.15 Cattaneo, 16.16 Caruso, 16.44 Almeida, 16.46 Ayuso, 16.48 Mas, 16.50 Vingegaard, 16.52 Roglic, 16.54 Landa, 16.56 Evenepoel, 16.58 Lenny Martinez, 17.00 Soler, 1 7.02 Kuss.
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