For a third day in a row Team KATUSHA riders were eager to animate the race by going in strategic breaks and working toward the goal of a stage win. Today’s efforts paid off in spades with Sergey Lagutin able to out-sprint his two breakaway companions to win atop the super steep Alto de La Camperona.
– Finally the dream came true. I was dreaming about this since I was little, about winning a stage in a grand tour like the Vuelta. Now it has happened and I still can’t believe it has happened to me. I’m 35 years old and in some ways I was thinking this was probably it, but I hope this makes things start all over for me. Without a big leader here we start with new goals and we’re all free to try something for ourselves when we see the opportunity. We are still competitive and looking forward in this Vuelta. I will be happy and proud of this stage win for the rest of my life. This win gives me more confidence and for sure I will look for other stages. We’ve just started – we have another two weeks ahead of us, – said stage winner Sergey Lagutin.
Part of an original 11-man break that went clear after only 10km of racing on Saturday’s 181.5km stage 8 starting in Villapando, initially teammate Jhonatan Restrepo took a chance to steal a stage win, but was brought back early on the narrow finishing climb. An attentive Lagutin seized the moment to surge ahead, joined by two others, and the trio managed to fight for the finish among themselves. Lagutin showed his patience and experience by waiting for the closing 100m to sprint around Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale) to easily distance the others and win the stage in the 71st Vuelta a España by 10-seconds. It was a first grand tour stage win for Lagutin and the blue polka dot jersey of the best climber is now his.
– I honestly didn’t expect this. The finish didn’t really fit me. I just caught the right breakaway with some strong climbers and I was able to win the stage. This is the most important victory of my entire career. I’m happy it finally happened to me. We kind of planned our move on the climb. I could see that Restrepo was excited when he attacked and he showed he had good legs. I was able to sit in the wheel of the breakaway, not work and save my energy. All the little things came together for us. All thanks to our sports directors who were talking to us on the radios and telling us what to do. I will try to keep this climbing jersey for the next few days, – said Lagutin. Last week in stage two Lagutin was in a crash that required two left fingers to be taped together for racing. He also suffers from rib pain but has battled on day-after-day and was rewarded for his perseverance with today’s stage win.
For his efforts and time in the lead today, teammate Jhonatan Restrepo, 21, earned the daily honor of most aggressive rider and took ninth of the stage at 1:30.
– This day was very, very hard. Spending the day in the breakaway with Sergey was crazy. The feeling in my legs was good, but the last climb was so hard. I felt good when I attacked, and in the end my work was good for Sergey. I am very happy for this win for Team KATUSHA and for winning the most aggressive rider today, – said Jhonatan Restrepo.
With a late attack of his own, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) moved into the race lead by 19-seconds ahead of Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde. Chris Froome of Team Sky remains in third place at +.27.
Racing continues on Sunday for the second of 3 stages in the mountains. Stage 9 at 164,5km begins in Cistierna and ends in Oviedo on the Alto del Naranco.
