Italia rider Alessandro de Marchi just rode to a solo, well-deserved victory on the eleventh stage on this year’s Vuelta s Espana.
On the other hand, Britain’s Simon Yates was able to keep his leader’s red jersey.
? De Marchi
????⚡? #LaVuelta18 pic.twitter.com/ZsUmdbwk2b
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 5, 2018
As heavy rain made the long route feel extra harsh and demanding, BMC cyclist De Marchi was still able to push clear of rider Jhonatan Restrepo during the final kilometers of the 207.8km-long route that started in Mombuey and sent riders to Ribeira.
Mivostar’s Alejandro Valverde on the other hand stands only one second behind Yates, 26, and many believe he will eventually be able to grab the red jersey.
Nairo Quintana stays in third place only 14 seconds back from Yates.
“If I had waited for the sprint, for sure I’d have finished second,” De Marchi said.
“The only option I had was to try everything on the last climb. Honestly, I didn’t have my best legs, but it was just in the head. At one moment today I just said that I just had to keep trying because it was a real battle.”
❤ @SimonYatess ??
? @alejanvalverde ??
?⚪ @luisangelmate ??
⚪ @alejanvalverde ??✏ @procycletrumps pic.twitter.com/yOHGJErXin
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 5, 2018
Stage 11 results
Alessandro de Marchi (Ita/BMC) 4hrs 52mins 38secs
Jhonatan Restrepo (Col/Katusha-Alpecin) +28secs
Franco Pellizotti (Ita/Bahrain-Merida) +59secs
Nans Peters (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +1min 24secs
Dylan Teuns (Bel/BMC) +1min 45secs
Overall classification after stage 11
Simon Yates (GB/Mitchelton-Scott) 45hrs 57mins 40secs
Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +1sec
Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +14secs
Ion Izagirre (Spa/Bahrain-Merida) +17secs
Tony Gallopin (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +24secs
