Vuelta a Espana: Primoz Roglic extends overall lead as Tadej Pogacar wins stage 13

September 6, 2019

Vuelta a Espana leader Primoz Roglic extended his advantage on a gruelling summit finish on Los Machucos as fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won stage 13.

Team Jumbo-Visma’s Roglic, 29, stands two minutes 25 seconds ahead of Spain’s Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde with eight stages of the race remaining.

Pogacar, of UAE Team Emirates, leaps to third overall after he and Roglic raced clear on the brutal 6.8km final climb.

It is 20-year-old Pogacar’s second win after victory on stage nine.

Philippe Gilbert wins Vuelta stage 12

The demanding 166.4km stage 13 featured seven categorised climbs, following a neutralised start which included a lap of the pitch at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium.

During La Vuelta’s previous visit to Los Machucos in 2017, leader and eventual race winner Chris Froome saw his lead slashed by 42 seconds – but Roglic faced no such problems as his closest challengers faltered.

Valverde remains second, despite finishing 27 seconds down on the Slovenian pair in fourth, while a difficult day for Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez – who fell from third to fourth overall – saw him finish seventh and concede over a minute as Pogacar strengthened his claim for a podium finish.

Pogacar’s team-mate and 2015 champion Fabio Aru withdrew before Friday’s stage with a muscular injury.

A fourth day in the red jersey awaits Roglic following Friday’s impressive climbing display, as a flat 188km stage 14 takes the riders along Spain’s northern coastline to a finish in Oviedo on Saturday.

Stage 13 result

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 48hrs 28mins 26secs

2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) same time

3. Pierre Latour (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +27secs

4. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) same time

5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) same time

6. Rafal Majka (Pol/BORA-hansgrohe) same time

Overall leaders

1. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) 49hrs 20mins 28secs

2. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +2min 25secs

3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 01secs

4. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Astana) + 3mins 18secs

5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +3mins 33secs

6. Rafal Majka (Pol/BORA-hansgrohe) +6mins 15secs

7. Nicolas Edet (Fra/Cofidis) +7mins 18secs

8. Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor/Lotto-Soudal) +7mins 33secs

9. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Sunweb) +7mins 39secs

10. Dylan Teuns (Bel/Bahrain-Merida) +9mins 58secs

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