Jaén, (EFE).- The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar maintains his idyll with the province of Jaén after blowing up the 69th edition of the Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol in the first stage, disputed between Puente de Génave and Santiago de la Espada , with a layout of 179 kilometers.
The leader of the UAE Emirates Team is insatiable, as he already demonstrated last Monday by winning the second edition of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, because 48 hours later he offered another exhibition in the Sierra de Segura with a lethal attack with 12 kilometers to go and 400 meters to go, which allowed him to mark a time of 5 hours, 4 minutes and 8 seconds.
The two-time winner of the Tour de France and current number one in the World waited for the opportune moment to change pace and attack like an alien in the first-class Despiernacaballos pass and the last mountainous difficulty of the day.
The Colombian Santiago Buitrago (Bharein) held him for a few meters, as did Sergio Samitier, but the Slovenian put the direct drive first to crown the pass and then to win the stage and put on the leader’s jersey.
The stamp of his pedaling combines elegance with power, which motivates him to feel safe and face each escape as if it were a time trial.
The highest possible income
From behind, Buitrago set the pace to reserve his teammate Mikel Landa for the arrival in a quartet that was completed with Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos), the current champion of Spain, and Enric Mas (Team Movistar), from the Balearic Islands. a breakdown left him off the hook and made him lose 1.39 compared to Pogacar.
The Slovenian Pogacar knew he was the winner of the stage in Jaén and his objective was to achieve the maximum advantage over his pursuers and thus achieved 38 seconds over Landa, Rodríguez and Mas, while Tao Geoghegan (Ineos), winner of the 2020 Giro d’Italia , was fifth at 1.39.
The opening day of the Ruta del Sol was intense and eventful from the beginning and it didn’t take long for a group to form that starred in the day’s break with the presence of Gotzon Martín (Euskaltel), Álex Martín (Eolo), the Frenchman Clement Alleno (Burgos ) and the Belgian Aaron Van Poucke (Team Flanders).
The four cyclists got along perfectly with a peloton that allowed them to maneuver so that they scored points in the flying goals of Villarrodrigo and Hornos and crowned the first mountainous difficulties, such as the top of Collado de los Yesos, Onsares and Navalperal.
The maximum advantage reached 2 minutes and 45 seconds, although as the breakaway passed, Alleno and Van Poucke accused the effort and lost contact with their two teammates.
Stage through Granada and Jaén
The Spanish Omar Fraile (Ineos) jumped out of the peloton and soon caught up with Gozton Martín and Álex Martín, which allowed them to go first through the Garganta de Hornos pass but already with the encouragement of a group of runners led at the head by the UAE Team Emirates, Tadej Pogacar’s team, which about 20 kilometers away ended the adventure of the escapees.
In the small squad were the favorites to win the general classification and the main teams of the Tour of Andalusia, such as the UAE, Bharain and Movistar, but at the moment of truth Pogacar was the star who confirmed the prognosis by attacking with 12 kilometers to go and win with authority in Santiago de la Espada.
The Slovenian will defend his leadership tomorrow in the second stage of the Ruta del Sol, which takes place between Diezma (Granada) and Alcalá la Real (Jaén), with a route of 156 kilometers and three mountain passes, two second category and one third. EFE
