'Seven motorbikes' - Træen credits team for Vuelta red jersey defence
Træen passed the first test of leading a Grand Tour with flying colours and the Norwegian has grown in confidence after both his own and teammates performance's on stage 7
Vuelta a España race leader, Torstein Træen (Bahrain-Victorious) successfully defended his red jersey on stage 7 of the Vuelta a España thanks to the help of what he described as “seven motorbikes,” in the form of his team mates.
“I don’t know if it was the leader’s jersey or just the pressure from myself. I felt so grateful for all the boys pulling all day, so I was like, now I have to keep the jersey, so I’m really grateful for having such great teammates to be honest,” said Træen in his post-race interview.
The Norwegian climber navigated an attritional stage that featured 4,200 metres of elevation gain, and rode strongly up the final climb to Cerler. Træen ended the stage in 22nd place, safely in the main GC group of 14 riders, 2:35 behind stage winner Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). In the process, Træen maintained his 2:33 advantage over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) in the overall standings, with João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in third at 2:41.
Træen remained consistent in his praise and appreciation for his Bahrain-Victorious teammates for their crucial support throughout the stage, particularly Jack Haig, a former GC podium finisher at the race, who has been struggling with ankle issues.
"I asked them and the sports director asked them, and I think also that they were really happy to do it. It's like Jack [Haig] said in the bus 'It's not many times in your life you will actually be able to pull for a guy in the leader's jersey', so even though Jack has had, lets say not the best Vuelta, with his problems with his ankle, he was still going like a motorbike today, in the uphill and the downhills and the rest of the guys were fighting like motorbikes, so I'm really grateful for having a team like this," said Træen.
The race leader managed his effort effectively on the final climb to Cerler, riding at his own tempo when Almeida, Vingegaard and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) surged clear. When the trio failed to cooperate, Træen was able to rejoin them with the other GC contenders, and this journey into uncharted territory was something the Norwegian also explained in front of Eurosport cameras.
"It was a new experience for me," Træen told Eurosport after the stage. "I was grateful for the seven motorbikes I had as teammates today, before I had to push hard on the final climb. I didn't necessarily enjoy the red today; I was mainly nervous about losing it. Maybe I can enjoy it a little more on Saturday. I knew I was going to keep the jersey when Almeida attacked, and they didn't really get away."
Saturday's stage 8 offers some respite, being the flattest of the entire Vuelta, before another challenging day on Sunday ahead of the first rest day. When asked about his prospects of retaining the jersey until the fearsome Angliru climb on stage 13, Træen remained coy.
"If I'm the red jersey tomorrow, also I will be happy," he said.
