Under a scorching sun, Seville was awaiting the massive arrival of the peloton, where the majestic Torre del Oro shone, where the imposing Maestranza rose and where the imperial Guadalquivir River flowed slowly, sheltering several docked ships, including a replica of the ship that was used to complete the round-the-world trip by the sailor Juan Sebastián Elcano. That’s where the multicoloured snake arrives; that’s where a handful of people start pedalling along the way. Hulk; here the launchers break away to the sides; and here the cast of the chosen ones, those who separate themselves from their shadow, fight for victory. They are Groves (Alpecin), Britnner (DSM) and Van Aert (Visma). But only the Czech Pavel Bittner was able to melt the peloton; the least expected, the one who made it clear that at 21 years old he already has a place among the best. human cannonballs of the Return.
It seems that in this Vuelta there are only two teams that are willing to liven up the race, the only ones that do not look at the thermometer -another abrasive day that was around 40 degrees- not even for their leaders but to respond and justify the invitation of the organization, second-rate teams that rub shoulders with the elite. Kern Pharma and Euskaltel, Euskaltel and Kern Pharma. At every traffic light they are activated like a spring, always determined to put some rider in a breakaway, success every day because they have not missed the appointment so far. None, in any case, like Ibon Ruiz (Kern Pharma), who already has three breakaways, the man detached from the peloton, the one who aspires to be the combative rider of the Vuelta. Because otherwise, now that cycling is measured to the finger, no. With him, at his side, giving generous reliefs, sweating profusely, also concerned about showing sponsors in the golden age of cycling, runs Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel). Keep going, keep going.
But it was an adventure with an expiration date, an impossibility in the disheartening heat. Just like the olive trees, which cover the land where the peloton passes on its way to the Seville neighbourhood of Arenal, the cyclists demand water to withstand the high temperatures that hit their brains and, in the process, slow down the race. They all appreciate the solidarity of the locals – firemen in some cases – who, when passing through the villages, take out the hose to cool the cyclists; they also need the beloved figure of the water carrier, who goes down to fill himself with canisters to distribute like a good brother or gregarious; and they find relief in the improvised socks full of ice that they put on their backs. What a pleasure! Home remedies, momentary happiness. Like that of the escapees, who saw their adventure end, from Fuente del Maestre (Badajoz) to Seville, with 37 kilometres to go. The stage at the starting box and everyone together to be able to launch their sprinter.
The city was all over the race, with floods of people to feed the voracity of those who do not look back when they press the hyperspace button, also to applaud Doull and Rui Costa (EF) – who had to abandon the race – after suffering a crash due to an unexpected pothole, the stage was resolved in a few kilometres and in just a few seconds. The duration of the sprint final. It so happened that Groves’ legs felt heavy for once. It so happened that Van Aert, who started first, saw him and thought that no one would catch up with him. And it so happened that he was completely wrong, since Bittner, healthy as he is, with hundreds of thousands of watts and adrenaline pumping, resolved the battle with the photo finish, a sprint to frame and, incidentally, to place him among the fastest in this Vuelta.
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