Sam Welsford (Group DSM) took victory in a good dash on Stage 6 of Vuelta a San Juan with the Australian Group DSM rider pushing by way of the Sanchez de Loria end line first after a quick tailwind run in to the road on vast roads.
He took out the 145km stage forward of Sam Bennett (Bora Hansgrahe) and Fernando Gaviria, whereas Miguel Angel López (Medellin-EPM), who claimed a solo victory and the general lead on stage 5 atop Alto del Colorado, maintained his main place on the GC heading into the ultimate stage with a 30 second hole to Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers).
The victory on Saturday in Argentina was the second for the skilled victory on the street for the 27 12 months previous who final season turned his focus away from the monitor and signed with Group DSM.
“It was actually a tough day trip however fairly managed for the dash groups,” stated Welsford instantly after the win. “The run in was actually quick. I feel we hit speeds of as much as 75km/h within the dash so it was actually quick and that final 5km was actually powerful.”
As soon as the break was caught at round 18km to go, Filippo Magli (Inexperienced Venture-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) holding out the entrance that little bit longer than the remaining. That left it to the groups of the sprinters to get set for the end on the straight vast trip roads main into Sanchez de Loria. Soudal-QuickStep was being lead by Remco Evenepoel till the ultimate km with Trek Segafredo alongside and Group DSM jockeying for place among the many remainder of the groups, nevertheless they purchased Welsford into place proper when it mattered most.
He launched from Fabio Jakobsen’s (Soudal-QuickStep) wheel to grab victory forward of Bennett and Gaviria who had combating a good battle for the highest step, proper till the final second. Jakobsen got here fourth.
The way it unfolded
The mud of this Vuelta a San Juan appeared to have settled after Friday’s summit end atop the Alto Colorado, however the race reserved sudden drama for the penultimate stage, which began and completed on the website of the 2025 UCI Monitor World Championships.
A 12 months on from the coaching crash that left him with career-threatening accidents, Egan Bernal (Ineos) had positioned a heartening fourth on the Alto Colorado with a efficiency that boded nicely for his prospects at subsequent week’s Colombian Championships and past.
18km into Saturday’s stage, nevertheless, information crackled over race radio that Bernal had deserted the Vuelta a San Juan. Ineos reported shortly afterwards that he was affected by ache in his left knee, apparently attributable to a crash on the opening stage of the race final Sunday.
These opening kilometres had been characterised by a flurry of attacking, and it took a while for the break of the day to determine itself on the street out to the placing Dique Ullum reservoir and the regular climb to Punta Negra. The eight-man transfer that in the end spent many of the day in entrance was led by the retiring Max Richeze (Argentina), who was making one other try to land a valedictory stage win on residence roads after his close to miss behind Quinn Simmons earlier within the week.
Richeze made a late, late effort there. This time, he struck from lengthy vary, and he was joined by his brother Mauro Abel Richeze (Chimbas), Filippo Magli (Inexperienced Venture-Bardiani), Rafael Lourenço (APHotels and Resorts – Tavira), Juan Pablo Dotti (SEP San Juan), Emiliano Ibarra (Gremios) and Gerardo Matias Tivani (Agrupación Virgen de Fatima – San Juan Biker Motos).
The presence of Magli, three minutes behind Miguel Ángel López within the general standings, meant the break was saved on a good leash by Medellín-EPM for a lot of the day, and their benefit shrank nonetheless additional when the sprinters’ groups shook themselves into motion.
After Remco Evenepoel’s GC problem fell brief on the Alto Colorado on Friday, Soudal-QuickStep have been by no means more likely to let the prospect to tee Fabio Jakobsen up for victory cross them by. Along with Sam Bennett’s Bora-Hansgrohe workforce, they closed in inexorably on the break, sweeping them up with a shade underneath 18km to go.
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