Roglic clings onto La Vuelta lead after late attack by Carapaz

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) won his second stage after late attack on the Alto de La Covatilla from the breakaway

Primož Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) withstood a late attack from Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) to retain his GC lead at La Vuelta on Saturday.

With only a final sprint stage in Madrid remaining, Primož Roglic has won the race overall with the GC battle now over.

David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ) took his second stage win of the race, attacking on the steep slopes of the Covatilla climb with Gino Mäder (NTT Pro Cycling) and Ion Izagirre (Astana) second and third.

The four kilometers of the Covatilla summit to go,  Richard Carapaz went on the attack in an effort to pull back his 45-second deficit on GC.

Roglic looked to be struggling but was able to limit his losses and also survived a late mattack from Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) to hang on to the red jersey.

Primoz Roglic is at the top of the GC, 24 seconds ahead of Carapaz conceeding 21 seconds.

Hugh Carthy finished up third, 47 seconds behind with Dan Martin fourth overall, and Enric Mas fifth on GC.

24-year-old stage winner David Gaudu said, “It was a scream of relief because I had been struggling for a few days, It was also a difficult season, we really struggled for three months and we failed at the Tour de France. We came on this Vuelta with a very combative spirit, and even if Thibaut had to abandon, we remained united and committed since the start. Today, I wasn’t necessarily feeling very well at the start but I ended up winning here. It’s something exceptional. I got my first WorldTour victory last year. Today, I took my first win on a Grand Tour, at the top of a mountain moreover. This is a first for me, and I did not do it ahead of just anybody. It means a lot to me and I hope it is only the start. Anyway, this is also a reward for the whole team for their work from the start of the Vuelta”.

Primoz Roglic said after the stage, It’s always good to have some exciting finishes but I was still had just enough so that I knew that if I rode at my own tempo then it should be enough. The finish was good. I wasn’t always in control but then in the end at some point you need to stay in control and just do your thing. For sure having Hofstede, every meter that he could do, it was a really nice job from the whole team. What can I say, I’m super happy, and it’s a really nice way to finish the season."

VIDEO: 2020 La Vuelta Stage 17 Highlights

2020 La Vuelta Stage 17 Top 10

1 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 4:54:32
2 Gino Mäder (Swi) NTT Pro Cycling 0:00:28
3 Ion Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Astana Pro Team 0:01:05
4 David De la Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) UAE Team Emirates
5 Mark Donovan (GBr) Team Sunweb 0:01:53
6 Michael Storer (Aus) Team Sunweb
7 Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis 0:02:23
8 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers 0:02:35
9 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Pro Cycling 0:02:50
10 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 0:02:56

2020 La Vuelta GC after Stage 17 Top 10

1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma 69:17:59
2 Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:24
3 Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Pro Cycling 00:00:47
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) Israel Start-Up Nation 00:02:43
5 Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar Team 00:03:36
6 Wout Poels (Ned) Bahrain McLaren 00:07:16
7 David De la Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) UAE Team Emirates 00:07:35
8 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 00:07:45
9 Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:08:15
10 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 00:09:34

 
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