The two-time tour winner Jonas Vingegaard from the top team Jumbo-Visma achieved his second victory of the day on the 16th stage of the Tour of Spain – and is moving close to his teammate Sepp Kuss in the leader’s red jersey in the overall ranking.
The 26-year-old Dane Vingegaard was unstoppable on the final climb of the 120.1 km section from Liencres Playa to Bejes and won ahead of Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) from New Zealand and the Dutchman Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious).
In the overall standings, Vingegaard improved by one place and pushed his teammate, three-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic from Slovenia (+1:33 minutes), into third place. Vingegaard is only 29 seconds behind Kuss, who crossed the finish line in tenth place on Tuesday, 1:05 minutes behind the day’s winner.
Before passing through the second category mountain finish, Vingegaard beat his chest at heart level. A gesture that may also have been aimed at his teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who was injured in a serious car accident. As a helper, the Belgian played a key role in the Dane’s tour victory in July.
According to Flemish media reports, Van Hooydonck lost control of his car on Tuesday after feeling faint at the wheel and then collided with another vehicle while crossing an intersection. According to conflicting reports, his condition initially remained unclear. Apparently his condition has improved.
“I’m just happy that I won today. We received terrible news this morning, I wanted to win for my best friend,” said Vingegaard at “Eurosport”: “There is good news about his condition, that’s one “It’s a big relief for me and for the team and I hope he gets well again soon.”
The next amazing task awaits the drivers on Wednesday. The 17th stage leads from Ribadesella over 122.6 km to Alto de L’Angliru – another legendary mountain finish – where the next potential attack by the classification riders could follow.