Valverde out of the race. I just saw the incredibly unlucky accident, he will be operated tomorrow.
Yes, Valverde was very unlucky to hit a rock on the road, but he was very lucky not to hit the barrier, or fall further down the mountain side, as his injuries could be worse. Let’s hope he recovers quickly.
This is the very unlucky fall, the very lucky scape and the very sad retirement. ¡Vamos Alejandro!
Valverde was examined by race medical staff, and then at a hospital where subsequent examination and diagnostic radiology showed Valverde suffered a right clavicle fracture.
That was a tough stage, six withdrawn riders altogether
Oscar Rodriguez - Astana
Emmanuel Morin - Cofidis
Hugh Carthy - EF Education
Mads Wurtz Schmidt - Israel Start-Up Nation
Alejandro Valverde - Movistar
Reinardt Janse van Rensburg - Team Qhubeka Nexthash (Outside time limit)
The tour was doing fairly well up until today;
only two abandonments previously on Stage 3.
Alexander Cataford - Israel Start-Up Nation (DNS)
Frederik Frison - Lotto Soudal
On a more positive note, it was a good day for Michael Storer! 
His first grand tour win, and a very prodigious one too.
Interesting to note 11 Australians in this tour ( +2 kiwis! )
Michael Storer, 24 years old but looks so young, practically brand new 
(Or maybe we’re just getting older?)
3 Likes
Saturday 21st August 2021
Stage 8 : Santa Pola to La Manga del Mar Menor (172km)
Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Ineos Grenadiers
Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Team Movistar - Team Classification leader
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A flat stage 8 with all the probability of another mass sprint finish. Jasper Philipsen has only one sprint classification point more than Fabio Jakobsen so the green jersey is very much in contention.
- Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, 131pts
- Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 130pts
- Magnus Cort (Den) EF Education-Nippo, 67pts
3 Likes
A really good piece from Tim Moore (who wrote the excellent French Revolutions) about his trip last year to Spain following the route of the 1941 Vuelta. He has written a book about it called Vuelta Skelter
1 Like
Valverde to undergo surgery today
Movistar Team published an update on Alejandro Valverde’s condition last night after the Spanish icon crashed out of La Vuelta 21 on stage 7: “Comforted by DS Chente García Acosta and quickly driven to the Hospital General de Alicante, early scans didn’t reveal any fractures, though it was detected that the plate on his right shoulder and pain to both this area and his hemitorax advised to undergo more comprehensive exams. A CT scan carried out in the late evening ended up confirming a collarbone fracture, for which he’ll undergo surgery in Murcia on Saturday.”
STAGE 8 Results : SANTA POLA TO LA MANGA DEL MAR MENOR
- Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 3-56-05
- Alberto Dainese (Ita) DSM, at same time
- Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
- Jordi Meeus (Bel) Bora-Hansgrohe
- Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates
- Itamar Einhorn (Isr) Israel Start-Up Nation
- Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
- Michael Matthews (Aus) BikeExchange
- Martin Laas (Est) Bora-Hansgrohe
- Piet Allegaert (Bel) Cofidis, all at same time
(no changes to the top GC positions)
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Todays sprint points classification results have produced a two-horse race for the green jersey, with Jakobsen again back in the lead 
POINTS CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE EIGHT
- Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 180pts
- Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, 164pts
- Alberto Dainese (Ita) DSM, 73pts
2 Likes
Sunday 22nd August 2021
Stage 9 : Puerto Lumbreras to Alto de Velefique (188km)
This is what hell looks like 
They’re going to seriously need the rest day tomorrow.
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Start of Stage 9:
Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Ineos Grenadiers
Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Team Movistar - Team Classification leader
3 Likes
STAGE 9 Results: PUERTO-LUMBRERAS TO ALTO DE VELEFIQUE (188KM)
- Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious, in 5-03-14
- Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma, at 1-05
- Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, at 1-06
- Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain-Victorious, at 1-44
- Miguel Ángel López (Col) Movistar
- Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, both at same time
- Gino Mäder (Sui) Bahrain-Victorious, at 2-07
- Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-10
- Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at same time
- David de la Cruz (Esp) UAE Team Emirates, at 2-40
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GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE NINE
- Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma, in 34-18-53
- Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, at 28 seconds
- Miguel Ángel López (Col) Movistar, at 1-21
- Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain-Victorious, at 1-42
- Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1-52
- Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 2-07
- Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-39
- Sepp Kuss (USA) Jumbo-Visma, at 2-40
- Felix Großschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 3-25
- David de la Cruz (Esp) UAE Team Emirates, at 3-55
POINTS CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE NINE
- Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 180pts
- Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, 164pts
- Alberto Dainese (Ita) DSM, 73pts
MOUNTAINS CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE NINE
- Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious - 28 pts
- Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM - 22 pts
- Pavel Sivakov (Rus) Ineos Grenadiers - 16 pts
YOUTH STANDINGS AFTER STAGE NINE
- Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, in 34-20-45
- Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech, at 2-03
- Gino Mäder (Sui) Bahrain-Victorious, at 2-08
TEAM STANDINGS AFTER STAGE NINE
- Movistar Team, in 102-58-47
- Bahrain-Victorious, at 1-32
- Jumbo-Visma, at 7-31
2 Likes
They’re call Jack Haig Mountain Jack here.
1 Like
Jack Haig had an excellent start in this years TdF, 1st and 2nd stages he finished 4th and 10th, which put him in the top ten GC contention with 6th position. But he got catch up in a stage 3 crash and had to abandon with an injury. (This has been a bad year for TdF crash-outs)
…Jack may lack any prodigious race wins yet but he shows an ongoing regularity of good results, will be interested to watch his progress throughout this tour, sooner or later he will win his first gran tour stage.
1 Like
I find it quite funny he (and a few other Aussies) are such good climbers. We don’t have any real mountains, Europe often refer our mountains as hills. 
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Aussie mountain climbing prowess is probably caused by eating those Vegemite sandwiches 
1 Like
I’m hoping that’s all it is. 
Tuesday 24th August 2021
Stage 10 : Roquetas de Mar > Rincón de la Victoria (189km)
Today’s stage is mostly flat all the way but ends with a category 2 climb to foil the chances of a mass sprint finish.
Start of Stage 10:
Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious
Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Team Movistar - Team Classification leader
2 Likes
STAGE 10 Results : ROQUETAS DE MAR TO RINCÓN DE LA VICTORIA (189KM)
- Michael Storer (Aus) Team DSM, in 4-09-21
- Mauri Vansevenant (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 22s
- Clément Champoussin (Fra) Ag2r-Citroën
- Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers
- Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, all at same time
- Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers, at 51s
- Nick Schultz (Aus) Team BikeExchange
- Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) Ag2r-Citroën
- Lilian Calmejane (Fra) Ag2r-Citroën
- Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Trek-Segafredo,all at same time
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GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 10
- Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, in 38-37-46
- Guillaume Martin (Fra) Cofidis, at 58s
- Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma, at 2-17
- Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, 2-45
- Miguel Ángel López (Col) Movistar, at 3-38
- Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain Victorious, at 3-59
- Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 4-46
- Sepp Kuss (USA) Jumbo-Visma, at 4-57
- Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 5-01
- Felix Großshartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 5-42
(no changes to the other jersey wearers, but a big shake-up in the team classification!)
Ineos Grenadiers - Team Classification leader
1 Like
When Odd Christian Eiking got out of his bed this morning, i bet he never expected to be wearing La Roja at the end of today’s stage
A large 31 man breakaway managed to get clear by a 13 minute margin, not sure why the GC guys in the main peloton didn’t give chase. The 2nd Category climb was interesting, a few made their early bids, Kenny Elissonde in particular, but the climb was neither steep or long enough for a pure climber.
So Michael Storer wins his 2nd stage victory in this tour, very impressively too.
It looks probable that Roglič will regain the red jersey in so many days time, but the losers today were Egan Bernal and Adam Yates both loosing more time to Roglič, the biggest loser was Giulio Ciccone who lost time and went down four GC positions 
A fantastic race though, and great to see the red jersey change ownership yet again 
4 Likes
Wednesday 25th August 2021
Stage 11 : Antequera > Valdepeñas de Jaén (133.6km)
Today’s short but very hilly stage should keep the attacks coming.
Two non-starters today, Alex Aranburu (Astana-Premier Tech),
and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) who won stage 2 and stage 5, has been a green jersey wearer and was very competitive in 2nd position for the sprint points classification.
The peloton number stating today is 169 riders (of 184)
Jersey wearers at start of today’s Stage 11
Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious
Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Ineos Grenadiers - Team Classification leader
3 Likes