Vuelta a España stage 19 - Live coverage

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All the action from Tapia to Monforte de Lemos

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Stage 19 of the Vuelta a España brings the peloton from Asturias into Galicia on the road from Tapia to Monforte de Lemos. The terrain is hilly in the opening part of the stage, which should offer a springboard for a break to forge clear.

Primož Roglič wears the red jersey and holds a commanding lead atop the overall standings after he won atop Lagos de Covadonga and then managed his rivals adroitly on the new climb of the Gamoniteiru on Thursday. 

General classification after stage 18

Our man in Spain Alasdair Fotheringham has analysed the lay of the land in the general classification ahead of the final three days in Galicia. Roglič's hefty lead and the final time trial mean that he looks, by some distance, the most likely winner in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday night, but the Vuelta's history is puncuated by late surprises on seemingly manageable terrain. "The last two road stages are hard enough, though, that their potential risks for Roglič and the rest of the GC favourites can’t be ruled out," writes Alasdair. "Friday’s finale is not too tricky and the stage’s second half is far flatter than its opening segment, but Saturday has been deliberately designed to create surprises, and it may yet do so." Read his full analysis here. 

The roll out today is at 12.11 CET, with the peloton due to hit kilometre zero at 12.29.

Michael Storer (DSM) wears the king of the mountains jersey today after his stint in the break yesterday. "I’m happy to keep the jersey in the team today,” said Storer, who inherited the jersey from teammate Romain Bardet. “Seeing as I was in the break it was worth picking up the points; it doesn’t matter who it’s with in the end, just as a team we want to win the jersey so it’s better if two of us have plenty of points going into the next stages.” Read more here.

The peloton is in the 9km-long neutralised zone, with the stage proper scheduled to start at 12.29 CET.

-191km

There are three classified climbs early in the stage, the category 3 Alto de Sela de Entorcisa, the category 2 Alto de Garganta and the category 2 Alto de Barbeitos, but the attacking has started even before the road begins to rise.

Mikael Cheral (AG2R-Citroen) and Mark Padun (Bahrain Victorious) are part of a seven-man move that opens a small gap over the peloton in the opening kilometres. 

-185km

The front group swells to 24 riders, with Craddock, Fabio Aru, Quinn Simmons and Magnus Cort among those to make it across. 

-177km

-175km

Meanwhile, Carlos Canal (Burgos-BH), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel Euskadi), Andrey Zeits (Team BikeExchange), Martijn Tusveld (Team DSM), Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel Euskadi) and Guy Niv (Israel Start-Up Nation) are in the no man’s land between the break and the bunch.

Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis), Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM) are now among the chasers. The peloton's interest in controlling affairs has increased and the gaps are tightening accordingly.

-170km

-169km

Magnus Cort led the break over the top of the Alto de Sela de Entorcisa. After a short descent, the race faces immediately into the category 2 Alto de Garganta, which climbs for 10.3km at 5.6%. 

Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) is part of a three-man move making another attempting to bridge across to the break, but it doesn't look as though the bunch will grant them the latitude to do so.

This stage is nowhere close to settling down just yet. Out in front, the breakaway group is shedding riders on this category 2 climb. Further back, Ion Izagirre (Astana) is among the men trying to bridge across. The peloton containing the red jersey Roglič and his closest rivals is at 1:20.

Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), Eddy Finéc (Cofidis), Aritz Bagues (Caja Rural) and Ander Okamika (Burgos-BH) are among the riders dropped from the front group on the Alto da Garganta. 

-158km

-157km

Fabio Aru led Andrea Bagiolio and Jay Vine over the top of the Alto da Garganta. The bunch, led by BikeExchange, follows at a little over a minute.

-150km

Despite the rugged terrain, the break covered 36.2km in the first hour and the pace is taking its toll further back. Sacha Modolo (Alpecin-Fenix) and Sergio Henao (Team Qhubeka NextHash) have both abandoned the Vuelta today.

-143km

-139km

The pace has abated slightly - slightly - in the peloton, and the break's lead extends accordingly. 1:58 the gap.

Team BikeExchange have been setting the tempo in the peloton, and with good reason. Green jersey Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) is in a group that was distanced on the second climb, and they sense an opportunity to tee up a reduced bunch sprint for Michael Matthews. 

-133km

-128km

-120km

DSM have also joined the chase effort at the head of the peloton with a view to setting up a sprint for Alberto Dainese. 

-111km

-102km

The six-man move is snuffed out and there are again 18 riders at the front, but it remains to be seen how that will affect their collaboration in the final 100km of this stage.

-94km

-87km

-84km

DSM's pace-making on this long, shallow descent is opening some gaps in the peloton. They should close again quickly, but it's a reminder to the GC men of the need to stay attentive...

-77km

-72km

-67km

-65km

-64km

-61km

-60km

After Simmons is brought back, Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) is the next to strike out alone... Who will respond?

-56km

The break has fragmented thanks to Oliveira's attack. He is joined in front by a group of 7 or so riders, including Simmon and Bagioli, but the bunch has closed to 1:15. 

-54km

-51km

-48km

Aru, Polanc, Stannard et al have been swept up by the peloton, leaving the eleven survivors from the break 1:07 clear at the head of the race.

Stannard's return to the peloton sparks BikeExchange back into the action. They send a man to the head of the bunch to help DSM's pursuit. 

-45km

-43km

Louis Meintjes has abandoned the Vuelta a España after his crash. The South African was lying 10th overall ahead of today's stage. 

Ion Izagirre (Astana Premier Tech) is a faller after crashing into what appears to be a BikeExchange soigneur who was standing in the road. The Basque remounts gingerly and continues in the race.

-38km

-35km

-34km

Rui Oliveira bridges across to Quinn Simmons, and this duo has established a lead over the rest of the break.

-33km

The break has completely splintered thanks to that Simmons and Oliveria move. Lawson Craddock and Andreas Kron are grimly inching across to the two leaders, while the remants of the break looks set to be swept up by the peloton.

-31km

This has been a brutally tough day, with an average speed in excess of 40kph, and the race is well up on its fastest expected schedule. Remarkable so deep into the third week of a Grand Tour.

-30km

-27.5km

-26km

-25km

-21km

-20km

-18km

-16km

-15km

-14km

-12km

-10km

-8.5km

-8km

-6km

-5km

-3km

Cort drops to the back of the break, while his teammate Craddock sets a brisk tempo to help discourage any attacks...

-2km

-1km

Craddock continues to lead through the final kilometre. Bagioli, Simmons, Kron, Roux, Oliveira and Cort are poised for the sprint...

Craddock leads into the finishing straight. Simmons opens the sprint from distance...

Cort comes around him...

Magnus Cort (EF Education-Nippo) wins stage 19 of the Vuelta a España.

Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) took second ahead of Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo). 

Alberto Dainese (DSM) won the sprint for 8th, 19 seconds back.

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) retains the red jersey and maintains his overall lead ahead of the final weekend.

Result

General classification

That’s Magnus Cort’s third stage win of this Vuelta after previous victories at Alto de Cullera and Cordoba. The Dane previously won a brace of stages in 2016 and another in 2020.

Magnus Cort: "It's amazing, it's a dream now, I really hope I don't wake up.It was not before the last five or six kilometres that I started believing. They always kept us close and it was a really hard day. We didn't always work perfect together in the front, we had a few attacks that reduced the size of the group. I think everybody had tired legs and it was hard to work together in this hilly terrain but somehow we managed to hang onto it. 

MONFORTE DE LEMOS SPAIN SEPTEMBER 03 Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark and Team EF Education Nippo celebrates winning during the 76th Tour of Spain 2021 Stage 19 a 1912 km stage from Tapia to Monforte de Lemos lavuelta LaVuelta21 on September 03 2021 in Monforte de Lemos Spain Photo by Stuart FranklinGetty Images

(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Vuelta Espana 2021 - 76th Edition - 19th stage Tapia - Monforte de Lemos 191,2 km - 03/09/2021 - Primoz Roglic (SLO - Jumbo - Visma) - photo Luis Angel Gomez/BettiniPhoto©2021

(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

MONFORTE DE LEMOS SPAIN SEPTEMBER 03 Lawson Craddock of United States and Team EF Education Nippo celebrates the victory of his teammate Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark during the 76th Tour of Spain 2021 Stage 19 a 1912 km stage from Tapia to Monforte de Lemos lavuelta LaVuelta21 on September 03 2021 in Monforte de Lemos Spain Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images

Lawson Craddock celebrates his teammate Magnus Cort's win. (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Primož Roglič, who received the 50th Grand Tour leader's jersey of his career this afternoon: "It’s beautiful to have my family here. They are my life and I’m very happy. It was a hard day from the start to the finish. A super strong break went away. For us, it was fine, and we could take it easy. But La Vuelta is coming to an end so there aren’t much opportunities left. The sprinters’ teams pulled with a super hard tempo. It’s crazy [that this is my 50th Grand Tour leader’s jersey]. Hopefully I can keep it. I’m never good with statistics, so I’m always positively surprised.”

MONFORTE DE LEMOS SPAIN SEPTEMBER 03 Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark and Team EF Education Nippo celebrates winning ahead of Quinn Simmons of United States and Team Trek Segafredo Rui Oliveira of Portugal and UAE Team Emirates and Andrea Bagioli of Italy and Team Deceuninck QuickStep during the 76th Tour of Spain 2021 Stage 19 a 1912 km stage from Tapia to Monforte de Lemos lavuelta LaVuelta21 on September 03 2021 in Monforte de Lemos Spain Photo by Stuart FranklinGetty Images

(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

A full report, pictures and results from today's stage are available here.

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