With the finish in Voiron, France, the Italian block of the Spanish Grand Tour came to a close today. It turned out to be a successful one for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with a stage win for Vingegaard and two consecutive days in the red jersey. Today, the Dane handed the leader’s jersey to Gaudu. After three long categorized climbs in the opening phase of the stage, a long descent and flat roads led the riders towards the finish.

An early break of five was reeled in quickly, paving the way for the sprinters’ teams to battle for the stage victory. That ultimately went to Ben Turner.  Vingegaard crossed the line safely in the bunch, but a few spots behind Gaudu – which means the Frenchman takes over the red leader’s jersey. Vingegaard now sits second overall, on exactly the same time as the new leader.

“It was a perfect day for our team”, sports director Jesper Mørkøv says. “Jonas came through the stage really well. Compliments to the whole team. They did an excellent job bringing our leader to the line safely. The final part of the stage towards the finish was particularly hectic.”

Tomorrow’s program features the team time trial, the first stage of this Vuelta to be held in Spain. In Figueres, the riders face a flat 24-kilometer test against the clock. “We’re happy with today’s strong performance. Tomorrow, the next challenge awaits us. We’re looking forward to it”, Mørkøv concludes.