Stage 19 sees the Vuelta spend some unpleasant time in France. Unpleasant because they face a 160k stage featuring 2 HC and 3 Cat 1 climbs. The last Cat 1 being the finish in Ax 3 Domaines. For good measure the race also starts immediately on a Cat 2.
Herklotz is the favorite but with a 7 minute GC leader Puma won’t be too focused on the stage win.
3k to the top of the opening climb and an elite group of 12 has 1’31 on the peloton. Included are: Plapp (8th on GC, 16th in KOM) Wellens (12th, 27th) Champoussin (13th, 28th) Valter (15th, 29th) Lopez Nolasco (16th, 5th) Frankiny (17th, 9th) Schlegel (18th, 2nd) Gregaard (20th, -) Mamykin (21st, 54th) Buchmann (42nd, 24th) Skaarseth (95th, 14th) Nych (101st, -)
Giannoutsos (11th, 3rd) was a little late to the party and is 32 seconds down. Koumpetsos is trying to help his leader across.
Valter takes maximum points at the top, 2nd for Schlegel, which puts the Czech in the virtual KOM jersey. With Mas not in the break Schlegel could make a lot of progress towards winning that jersey today. The rest of the top 5 on the climb are Champoussin, Frankiny and Buchmann. These 5 have a small gap on the next group. Skaarseth and Nych are out of their class in this company and are further back. The two ELCO riders are at 2’08 but have been joined by another group of attackers. Peloton at 2’50.
As the breakaway reaches the 2nd climb, the Cat 1 Serra Cavallera (6.7k at 7.7%) the front group is back together with even Nych and Skaarseth able to rejoin. They have 1’36 on the Giannoutsos group which also includes Godoy (10th on GC). And 2’25 to the peloton which was being led by Polar but now it is Carlsberg and Indosat.
Giannoutsos decides the break isn’t for him today and he drops back to the peloton with Koumpetsos and Firdaus. The other riders remaining in what is now the Godoy group are: Leemreize, Eenkhoorn, Aranburu, De Plus, Schelling, Power, and Martin. Nych is also with this group having been dropped by the front group.
It is tight battle for the leaders at the top of the Cat 1. Frankiny wins it (40+16=56), then Valter (22+12=34) and Champoussin (18+10=28). Schlegel is 4th (94+8=102). Skaarseth and Mamykin have been dropped and Lopez Nolasco is struggling. The gap to the peloton is 3’54.
The break starts the next climb, the HC Collada de Toses (19.3k at 4.6%) with 19 seconds on Lopez Nolasco on Mamykin and Skaarseth, 1’49 on the Godoy group and 3’49 on the peloton. Nych and Martin have been dropped from the Godoy group. The peloton is down to 63 riders with Carboni, 22nd on GC, the highest ranked rider missing.
With 125k to go the escape groups all merge to create an 18-rider breakaway. Martin and Nych were caught by the peloton which is at 2’49. Polar doing the chasing in the peloton.
123k to go Carthy, attacks. Mas on the front right now. Lopez Nolasco has been dropped by the break and is being caught by the peloton.
Mas isn’t wiling to let Carthy go. Mamykin is dropped by the break and caught by the peloton.
Lopez Nolasco goes straight out he back of the peloton where Polar are still pushing, the peloton is just 33 riders with over 100k still to go. Cathy having been brought back. Up front Godoy has been dropped or he may have decided being in the break wasn’t worth it with the gap at just 1’40. Power and Skaarseth also dropped from break.
3k to climb and 9 riders left up front (Aranburu, Gregaard, Plapp, Wellens, Schlegel, Frankiny, Champoussin, Buchmann, Leemreize). Peloton at 2’37, Polar easing off, Xero now in control but they are less focused on chasing. Herklotz only has Schiffer left with him.
Schiffer is dropped soon after.
Gregaard takes maximum points at the top, Wellens second, then Frankiny (56+12=68), Aranburu and Champoussin. The rest dropped. There is a period of descending and flat now we will see if that calms things down. Peloton at 2’08 with just 20 riders left.
De Plus leads the “peloton” over the top of the climb. The gap is 2’42. Xero in the strongest position with Blums and Fouche both in this group. Polar and Indosat both have 2 riders as well. Giannoutsos has just attacked maybe for a couple of KOM points. Schlegel scored 4 taking him to 106. Mas on 86. Giannoutsos on 82.
Giannoutsos and De Plus just attacking for the KOM points, they don’t persist.
95k to go, the leaders are on the flat section and have 2’37. Buchmann and Plapp were able to rejoin bringing the break to 7 but everyone else is caught.
Disaster for Polar as Mas (7th on GC) punctures. The next group on the road is working hard to catch the red jersey group, he will hope to join up with them.
The chaos on this stage has largely been driven by Polar and now, with Mas gone from the red jersey group, Geoghegan Hart decides to try and bridge on his own. So far he has opened up 16 seconds and he has 1’59 to close.
The break hits the next climb, the Font Romeu (9.3k at 5.7%) with a lead of 1’43 on Geoghegan Hard and 2’04 on the Red Jersey group. Carthy and Xero not really letting the Polar rider go. There is a 34-rider group including Mas 55 seconds down on the Red Jersey group. They have been chasing for a long time, if they catch back up there will be a lot more domestiques available.
Aranburu is dropped from the break and caught by the Red Jersey group. Geoghegan Hart has 47 seconds on the Red Jersey group but is 2 minutes behind the break. This doesn’t seem like a good plan. About 7k to climb.
Buchmann and then Plapp are dropped as Gregaard attacks for the KOM points. Behind the Red Jersey group has slowed and the gap is out to about 5 minutes but they are about to be caught by a group of 20 or so which will bring some fresh legs for the chase.
Wellens takes maximum points ahead of Frankiny and Gregaard. A long descent from here to the bottom of the second HC climb. There are still 70k left in the stage.
Frankiny up to 4th in the KOM with 80 points, Wellens and Champoussin in to the top 10 in that competition.
The Red Jersey group swells to 40. Carboni, Lopez Nolasco and Mas all make it back. Also Schiffer and Schinnagel for Puma.
50k to go for the Red Jersey group. Xero (Blums), Los Pollos (Beltran), Gazelle (Vervaeke), Carlsberg ( Hellemose) and Puma (Schiffer) all chasing. The three who led over the last climb have 4’24. It doesn’t look like Champoussin or Plapp will make it back to them. Geoghegan Hart in no man’s land 1’49 up on the peloton.
The leaders start the penultimate climb with 3’49 on the red jersey group. They are Wellens, Frankiny, and Gregaard. Champoussin got within 30 seconds but now they are on the climb his progress has stalled. The climb is the HC Port de Pailhières, 11k at 9.9%.
4k to climb for the leaders. The Red Jersey group not pushing now and the lead has yawned out to 6’03. These three could still take the stage, they will deserve it.
Hellemose brings back Geoghegan Hart with 3.7k to climb. Only the 3 leaders left out front now but they have 6’24.
400 meters to the top and Frankiny can’t hang on.
Wellens edges Gregaard for maximum points. Peloton is over 7 minutes back now. Wellens on the virtual podium.
The breakaway adventure won’t work out for Plapp and Champoussin today, they went straight out the back and are already 2’20 behind the Red Jersey group.
Giannoutsos and Schlegel attack to take 4th and 5th on the climb. Carthy attacks just behind them.
KOM standings. There are still Cat 1 point to be had at the finish but Schlegel is safe in the jersey for today.
Just under 6k left in the stage and on the climb for the leaders. The climb is Ax 3 Domaines (6.7k at 9.8%). Frankiny at 1’12, the Red Jersey group at 7’24. Carthy has been caught but the other two still have a small edge. Polar is paying for their aggression as both their top 10 riders (Mas and Geoghegan Hart) are out the back.
4.7k to go, Gregaard tests Wellens.
He passes the test, and returns the favor.
Gregaard holds firm and with 3.2k to go they are together.
2.3k as Gregaard tries another attack. Peloton at 6’29 with not much happening, still a 39-rider group. Sadly, they seem to have called off the hostilities Giannoutsos and Schlegel still have a small gap.
1k later Wellens is still glued to his wheel.
2.4k to go for the peloton as Areruya launches the first attack. Latour on his wheel.
Areruya gets a gap. Latour and Firdaus just behind. It looks like Frankiny will be caught so the break only works out for the two up front, it worked out pretty badly for a number of others.
With 400 meters to go Wellens launches his move.
Gregaard follows.
100 meters, Wellens looks like he has the edge.
Wellens wins Stage 19 after a titanic ride. Another 2nd for Carlsberg they played a good team game but Gregaard can’t quite finish it.
1k banner, Herklotz almost up to Areruya and the Indosat trio. Giannoutsos is suffering at the back.
400 meters. Front group is Latour, Firdaus, Areruya and Herklotz. They have 24 seconds on a 30-rider group led by Dombrowski
Herklotz has the best kick and takes the bonus seconds for 3rd. Then it is Latour, Areruya and Firdaus. They finish 3’24 down on the stage winners.
The next group home is Godoy, Schlegel, Valter and Dombrowski. They get the same time as Herklotz but gain 22 seconds on the next group that includes Carthy and Aular. Godoy probably pleased with his decision to drop out of the break.
In the end not many gaps among the GC riders. The big impact comes from the break with Wellens up to 5th and Gregaard up to 11th. But the bigger news is on the downside as Mas and Geoghegan Hart both lose 8 places and Plapp and Champoussin fall out of the top 20. Plapp loses over 13 minutes to Firdaus and is now 14 seconds down in the White Jersey competition. No changes in the other jerseys.
Vuelta a Espana 
