Widar ends first Vuelta week on a high despite ‘shit day’: ‘They weren’t riding hard enough’

The 20-year-old Belgian has experienced both highs and lows during his first nine days at the Vuelta a España, but heads into the first rest day with another encouraging result after holding his own among some of the race’s strongest climbers.

That did not mean he was entirely happy with how stage 9 had unfolded.

“It was a bit of a shit day,” Widar told Sporza after the finish. “Personally, I thought they weren’t riding hard enough on the climbs along the way. There were still about 100 riders together. I found that pretty annoying.”

The hardest climbing stage of the Vuelta so far featured 4,952 metres of elevation and six categorised ascents before the 21.9 kilometre finish to Alto de Aitana.

The real selection only came on the final climb, where the Lotto-Intermarché rider soon found his rhythm.

“On the final climb I could feel that I was okay,” he said. “I kept believing and just rode at my own pace.”

Widar was regularly visible near the back of the group, an unusual position for a rider who would eventually finish seventh. It was not accidental.

Rather than fighting the general classification contenders for position before the decisive moments, Widar deliberately chose to stay out of their way and work his way through the group as riders began to crack.

“Maybe it would have been better to sit a little further forward,” he explained. “But I also understand that the GC riders aren’t going to let me in because I’m not high in the overall standings. I don’t want to interfere and get in their way either.”

“If I then have to let a gap open, that’s pretty annoying for them. So I decided to overtake everyone from behind.”

It almost worked perfectly.

Inside the final three kilometres, Widar changed approach and tried to follow the moves at the front as the stage victory came into play. Enric Mas eventually beat Oscar Onley to victory, with Primož Roglič finishing third.

Widar admitted that his late gamble came at a cost.

“It was only in the last three kilometres that I had to try and take a chance if I wanted to fight for the victory,” he said. “I paid for that completely in the final kilometre because I faded a little.”

Even so, seventh was another strong result in an eventful Grand Tour debut, and Widar was once again typically direct in his assessment.

It was not the first time he had spoken his mind during this Vuelta. After losing almost five minutes on stage 7, the Belgian had already pushed back at suggestions that he should be considered a GC rider.

“You’re the ones turning me into a GC rider,” he told reporters. “If you don’t want to believe me, that’s your problem.”

That same bluntness was there when the subject turned to the first rest day of his Grand Tour career, after nine consecutive days of racing.

“We’re cyclists,” he said. “Sometimes we also train for three weeks in a row.”