Molard leads Vuelta a España a year after crash that left him with collapsed lung

Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) in the leader's jersey after stage 5 at the Vuelta a Espana
Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) in the leader's jersey after stage 5 at the Vuelta a Espana (Image credit: Sprint Cycling Agency)

Rinse and repeat. Four years after he last wore the red jersey of Vuelta a España, Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) once again claimed the provisional overall lead in Spain’s Grand Tour from a mid-first week day-long break, and once again promised to keep the lead for as long as possible.

In 2018, Molard held the lead in the Vuelta for four relatively straightforward days before finally ceding it to Simon Yates on the Covatilla summit finish. This time round, with the peloton set to tackle the 12-kilometre ascent to Pico Jano as early as Thursday, his determination to remain in the top spot will be put to the test far sooner.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.