La Vuelta 2020: Primoz Roglic wins time trial to take race lead, Hugh Carthy still in GC contention

ByFelix Lowe

Updated 03/11/2020 at 17:58 GMT

Primoz Roglic took his fourth victory of La Vuelta on Tuesday, winning the Stage 13 time trial on a challenging course that finished with the steep Mirador de Ezaro climb. The Slovenian took over the red jersey for a third time but both Richard Carapaz and the impressive Hugh Carthy stay in striking distance of the defending champion with five stages of the race remaining.

A battling ride from Primoz Roglic saw the Slovenian time trial specialist pick up an astonishing fourth win in La Vuelta and take the red jersey back from Richard Carapaz of Ecuador atop the Mirador de Ezaro in the Stage 13 race of truth.

Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) trailed his general classification rival Hugh Carthy (EF Pro Cycling) at the first intermediate check and was only one second clear at the second after a testing ride along the flat but blustery coastal roads in Galicia. He then pulled it out of the bag on the final 1.8km climb to the line, winning the 33.7km TT in a time of 46 minutes 39 seconds.

A superior bike change at the foot of the climb and an explosive assault on the 14.8 per cent average gradient saw Roglic, in the green skin-suit as points classification leader, edge the American Will Barta (CCC Team) by one slender second and put his time trial demons to bed following his recent implosion on the penultimate day of the Tour de France.

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Moments earlier, Carthy, the rangy rouleur from Lancashire who entered the GC fray with a coming-of-age victory on the Angliru on Sunday, crossed the line in provisional third place behind Barta and the Portuguese Nelson Oliveira (Movistar).

Carthy ended up in fourth place, 25 seconds down on Roglic, to retain his third place on GC and stay within 47 seconds of the red jersey entering the final phase of the race – not a bad return for a rider whom his manager Jonathan Vaughters had predicted would trail the Slovenian by one and a half minutes going onto the climb.

• La Vuelta classification rankings and standings
• La Vuelta Stage 13 - As it happened

The last man down the ramp in Muros and across the line overlooking the estuary of the Xallas river was Carapaz, the Ineos Grenadiers 2019 Giro d'Italia champion putting in a solid TT to take seventh place on the day, 49 seconds down on the man who returns to the summit of the race for a third time since his victory on the opening day.

A fourth stage victory puts rampant Roglic 39 seconds clear of his nearest challenger, Carapaz, and strengthens his accompanying vice-like grip on the green jersey.

It also ensured that there would be no repeat of his time trial nightmare from the Tour where, on a similar course ending with the climb to La Planche des Belles Filles, Roglic conceded his yellow jersey to compatriot Tadej Pogacar on the eve of the race's final day.

Ireland's Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Spain's Enric Mas (Movistar) did enough to stay in fourth and fifth place in the general classification, but both riders conceded over a minute to Roglic as they drifted further back in the standings.

Martin fared better with the 13th best time but is now 1'42" down while Mas, who toiled in the white skin-suit of best young rider along the Galician coast, is now 3'32 in arrears, his dreams of a podium finish in Madrid in tatters.

France's Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck Quick-Step) sat in the hot seat for a long stint before Oliveira took the baton with a commanding performance. Barta's blistering time knocked the Portuguese off his perch by nine seconds – and with Roglic down on him by 17 seconds at the second time check after 24.5km, the out-of-contract 24-year-old looked to be on course for a surprise maiden pro win that would put him in the shop window ahead of 2021.

But after a slick bike change, Roglic attacked the climb with intent, making light of the maximum 30% gradient to claw back time and build up a wedge between himself and his rivals for red.

If cementing his race lead would have been his number one priority, the voracious Roglic did enough to deny Barta a priceless first career victory by taking his fourth in the past two weeks.

Roglic - 'I thought I'd suffer more, it's been a long time since I've won a time trial'

But with just 47 seconds separating the top three – and Saturday's decisive Stage 17 finale on the Alto de la Covatilla on the horizon after some rolling stages over fertile ambush territory – the 75th Vuelta a Espana is far from over.

Wednesday's 204.7km Stage 14 takes the riders through the hills of Galicia and over three lower-category climbs between Lugo and Ourense.

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