'We want to save our energy' - Vingegaard conserves strength in Vuelta Pyrenean test
The second consecutive mountain top finish saw no major change in the fight for the red jersey with a group of 14 riders crossing the line together 2:35 behind stage winner Juan Ayuso
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) remained conservative during stage 7 of the Vuelta a España, finishing with the main group of GC contenders while maintaining his second place in the overall standings.
The Dane, who sits 2:33 behind race leader Torstein Træen, made the tactical decision to conserve energy rather than contest for the stage win on Friday’s Pyrenean test, which featured over 4,200 metres of elevation gain.
"It was a decent day in total. It was not an easy day," Vingegaard said after the stage to reporters. "We want to still try to save our energy a bit, so yeah, we decided not to do anything today, and anyway, it was a hard last climb. But yeah, the team did well."
Vingegaard followed attacks from Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on the final climb to Cerler but didn't launch any moves himself. His Visma-Lease a Bike teammates Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss also finished safely in the main GC group.
When asked if he chose to keep his powder dry because the victory wasn’t possible, with Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) minutes ahead and taking the stage from the breakaway, Vingegaard clarified that conserving resources for the many tough stages ahead was the priority.
"No, I think for sure if we wanted, we could have fought for the win," he explained. "But yeah, as I said, we want to save the team also still. So yeah, we save it for the second and third week because there it will be hard enough."
Despite sitting 2nd overall, Vingegaard remains in a strong position behind Træen as the de facto leader of the race, and with the knowledge that he is well supported by a strong team, with American duo, and Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss also finishing within the main GC group at the finish to Cerler and sitting 6th and 14th on GC respectively.
Stage 8 presents an opportunity for the GC contenders to rest their legs, as the flattest stage of the Zaragoza is on the menu for Saturday; however, the riders will need to remain vigilant throughout the day to avoid any incidents or accidents in the finale.
