As the sprinters ripped through the city of Tarragona, Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) jumped forward to take the last tight left hand corner. That was a mistake.
He never made it through. He’d misjudged the radius, his rear wheel slid out and into the soft barrier he tumbled. In a split second, the race tactics changed dramatically.
Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) now had a big opportunity and a significant problem. He had the lead but was a leg-killing 350 meters from the finish. In a split second, it was all or nothing. However, he was on excellent form and had just recently won a stage in the Vuelta a Burgos.
He shot ahead, quickly opening a promising gap on Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Sometimes you have to play the cards you’re dealt. Sometimes you have to make lemonade out of a crash in front of you. Shit happens but maybe you come out smelling like roses and a Vuelta stage winner.
Groves wasn’t concerned about Molano. The Australian was the top favorite for victory today and his team had placed him in perfect position. “I was patient enough and strong enough to close him with 100 meters to go.”
Molano had gone too early and now it was definitely too late. He ran out of gas, pounding the handlebars as the Australian swept past him. With some time to cool off, Molano was able to find a sliver lining. “Groves was strong and he was well positioned on my wheel. I came very close but that’s how it got in cycling sometimes.”
Perhaps Groves should thank Marijn van den Berg for taking that final corner too fast. It set Molano up as a weary target for him to chase down.
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