Küng sacrifices Vuelta after stunning time trial win to go all-in on Worlds
Fresh from his time trial victory at La Vuelta yesterday, Stefan Küng will leave the race ahead of the final stages to turn his full attention to the upcoming World Championships in Montréal.
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After 18 demanding stages, many of them raced in intense heat, the Tudor rider and his team have jointly decided that withdrawing from La Vuelta is the best option to maximise his preparation for the World Championships.
The decision brings an early end to a Vuelta campaign that had always formed an important part of Küng’s build up towards Montréal. Speaking to Domestique before yesterday’s time trial, he explained that the three week race had been deliberately built into his preparation after a season disrupted by injury.
“I think the Vuelta is the best possible preparation for myself for the Worlds and also for next year,” Küng said. “That was also one of the reasons for me to do the Vuelta, just get a big block in as I haven’t raced so much this year.”
That training block ended on a high in Jerez de la Frontera, where Küng claimed victory in the stage 18 individual time trial. The result provided another important confirmation of his return to the highest level following the fractured femur he suffered at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier this season.
Even before his Vuelta victory, Küng felt the language of a comeback no longer quite applied.
“Now it doesn’t feel like a comeback anymore, you know, it just feels like I’m back into it,” he told Domestique.
With only a short turnaround between the conclusion of La Vuelta and the World Championship time trial, combined with the demands of overseas travel, leaving the race now gives Küng additional time to recover from more than two weeks of intense racing and prepare specifically for his next objectives.
The Swiss rider will compete in three events in Montréal: the Individual Time Trial, the Mixed Relay and the Road Race. The time trial in particular has been a major target throughout the second half of his season, with Küng having only returned to training on his time trial bike in June following his rehabilitation.
For Küng, the Vuelta has delivered what he came for: a demanding block of racing, confirmation of his form and a stage win before Montréal.
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