It was crazy. No more. Rarely, not even on the Tour, perhaps in Denmark this year and in Yorkshire back in 2014, had so many rivers of people been seen. It was impossible to find a gap between the fences. And what is very difficult to see in other places where the bars are only filled when the favorite football team plays. The beers were taken without losing attention to the television that was broadcasting the Vuelta, a Spanish round that has already begun under the dominance of Primoz Roglic, whose team, the Jumbo, stoked all the rivals with seconds worth gold and with the question addressed to many rivals: where to recover, for example, 43 seconds, the Slovenian rider?
In fact, Utrecht, due to the passion of its inhabitants and the dedication shown by literally throwing themselves into the street and occupying every existing corner along 23 kilometers, deserved that the team that represents them, sponsored by a supermarket chain who spent a bundle on invitations to his private areas, took command of the Vuelta at the first opportunity. They won the Tour with Jonas Vingegaard and want to repeat the feat in the Vuelta with Roglic, although in this case it would be the fourth time in a row. Since they took the start they set the best time, overwhelming dominance and only the Ineos of Richard Carapaz, Pavel Shivakov and Carlos Rodríguez, and the Quick Step of Remco Evenepoel Y Julian Alaphilippe they came a little closer to the supersonic time that the Dutch team established.
The reward
Such was the dominance and the spectacle that they offered before their countrymen that they wanted to reward one of the Dutch runners of the team. And who better than Robert Gesink36 years old, with a career that could have been more brilliant if luck had not smiled on him on some occasions, especially when a decade ago he was a contender for victory in the Vuelta and even disputed the tour overview. For this reason, the Jumbo designated him to be the first red jersey of the race when crossing the finish line, with the best team time, ahead of Roglic. All tied up and controlled by the Slovenian broker on friendly ground.
Gesink live all year in the tarter, in Andorra. His children go to the local school and he is one of the runners who, aside from residing in the Pyrenean country for tax reasons, has better integrated into local customs. Now in the Netherlands he is supported by his wife and his two children, happy children to see their father dressed as the leader of the Vuelta.
⏪? The last outing for @alexvalverde, #The last bullet.
All #LaVuelta22 ahead for Murcia. pic.twitter.com/Ii3GUm4KfV
– La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 19, 2022
Therefore, the public felt happy. Seeing one of their own dressed in red was worth all the effort and all the investment to bring the Vuelta to Dutch lands. Many were the old Dutch riders who appeared in Utrecht, who did not want to miss the party that will continue until Sunday, with two more stages. Because there was even one tuna that animated the arrival area and stalls churros and chocolatealthough some changed the hot drink for beer.
The patio of your house
It was incredible, like the time they already lost at the first change teams like Movistar, tenth of the stage, but already 43 seconds behind the stars of the Jumbo. The entire Vuelta remains, countless mountains and traps, but Roglic knows the race as if it were the patio of his house. He endures the Andalusian heat, everything that is thrown at him and in the other three victories he has practically dominated the race from start to finish.
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Last year, for example, he won the initial time trial, in that individual case and in Burgos, and only gave up the red jersey for tactical reasons and above all so as not to wear his Jumbo teammates down too much. Now, however, he has powerful and serious rivals, above all a consistent Ineos, without forgetting Quick Step and even the Emirates. The Vuelta has just started but Roglic He has already shown that he is serious.
Stage 1 + HQ #LaVuelta22 (1/21) pic.twitter.com/2n1CMElSGT
– Javier Gilabert C. (@tourdegila) August 19, 2022