Magnus Cort explains unusual late Vuelta attack: 'We just wanted to have some fun'

With six kilometres remaining on stage 15 of the Vuelta a España, Magnus Cort and Andreas Kron went on the attack.

The move came from the peloton, more than two minutes behind the front group with Wout van Aert that was fighting for the stage victory, making the late acceleration an unusual one.

Cort had earlier been dropped before making his way back to the group containing the general classification favourites. By then, the race for the stage win had already disappeared up the road.

“We just wanted to have a bit of fun down there on the flat,” Cort told TV 2 Sport after the stage. “We have a rest day tomorrow, so we wanted to go out and play a little.”

“It was a group that had really slowed down. I had hoped that Kron and I could get away on our own.”

The attack eventually earned Cort 20th place, but the result was hardly the point. After a punishing stage raced in extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, the Danish champion still had enough energy and enthusiasm to animate the finale.

That approach also fitted with what Cort told Domestique before the start of his final Vuelta.

The 33-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, made clear that his last Grand Tour would not simply be a farewell lap. Cort said he still expected opportunities to race aggressively and target stages, particularly from breakaways.

“I will definitely get my chances,” Cort said at the time, identifying breakaways and rolling stages as some of his best opportunities to add to his six previous Vuelta stage victories.

Cort also made clear how much the Spanish Grand Tour means to him. It was here that he made his Grand Tour debut in 2016, immediately winning two stages, and he described the Vuelta as perhaps his favourite of cycling's three biggest stage races.

“I've always liked the Grand Tours and especially the Vuelta,” he said. “I've had many, many wins there and many big, good experiences and memories.”