Opportunistic, Vine surprised the peloton ten kilometers from the finish and managed to keep his 15 second lead over Evenepoel (Quick-Step) to grab a first victory as a professional, which is moreover on a prestigious stage.

"I knew that if I went out and kept a little advantage, it could do it. I knew that at the level of the general classification, nobody was going to be interested in me. It was time for me to convince, "said relished Vine after its success.

In the fog and in the rain of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, Evenepoel, well helped by his teammates before the final ascent, sent a message to all the leaders after the first arrival at altitude of the Spanish loop .

The Frenchman and reigning double world champion Julian Alaphilippe notably took on the role of model teammate by leading the peloton for more than thirty kilometers to put his leader in orbit at the foot of Pico Jano.

Roglic gives ground

In portions at 12%, "the little cannibal" then carried a big acceleration that no leader managed to follow, except the Spaniard Enric Mas (Movistar), who painfully concluded the stage in the wheel of the 22 year old Belgian.

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"I'm proud of the team. It's a dream come true. We've worked so hard to get here. It's one of the best things I've done since I started cycling," said declared Evenepoel after the race.

Evenepoel takes the lead in the general classification and recovers the red jersey from the shoulders of Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ), who had worn it the day before in Bilbao.

The Frenchman was 5 min 06 behind on the line.

A group of leaders made up of three-time defending champion Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Simon Yates (BikeExchange) finished 1 minute and 22 seconds behind Evenepoel.

The leader of Ineos Grenadiers Richard Carapaz has certainly said goodbye to his ambitions in the general classification, crossing the line 2 minutes and 44 seconds behind the Belgian.

Note the strong performance of 19-year-old Spaniard Juan Ayuso (UAE), who finished 4th in the stage 55 seconds behind Jay Vine.

Friday, the Vuelta tackles a 190 kilometer medium mountain stage between Camargo and Cistierna, in the Castile and Leon region, with in particular the terrible climb of San Glorio (1st category) in the middle of the course.

© 2022 AFP