Action, suspense and terror, Roglic's 'thriller'

A lot of Jumbo runners swirl around Roglic, sitting on the ground and leaning on the fence, gasping for breath and resignation, also uncertain about what might happen.

The Slovenian looks at his arm, with a swollen burn that oozes abundant blood, with a bruised shoulder and a scraped knee, also dotted with streaks of red plasma.

Everyone wonders how he is, what toll will the fall he suffered a few meters from the finish line.

Evenepoel, his rival but also his partner,

is also approaching with concern .

"I saw him damaged, surely he will have to go to the hospital, but I hope he recovers," said the sporty Belgian.

It happens that Roglic has not forgiven one since he lost the time trial, determined to attack and attack, to test the strength of the Belgian, to find his weaknesses.

And he succeeded in the last two ascents as he also did in Tomares, because with 2.8 kilometers to go he started with an unbridled ferocity, dancing on the bicycle with inhuman pedaling, enough to break the peloton, to open a gap and play the sprint with the few who withstood his onslaught, with Ackerman (UAE), with Wright (Bahrain), with Van Poppel (Bora) and Mads Pedersen (Trek), the Dane who has imposed his law since Sam Bennett left, once again the winner after be crowned in Montilla.

Although a few meters before, in the last pedal strokes, with adrenaline at its peak, Roglic stumbles – it is not known if with Wright's wheel or with a glob of plasticine that was there because there is no clear image – and hits an inhuman smack, gasps and visible fears.

A bump, too, cruel because he not only loses possible bonus seconds of the stage (10 for the first; six for the second; and four for the third) but his body is left battered, damn his luck.

It was the

of the Vuelta over 2.8 kilometers, in a few seconds.

From action to suspense and from there to terror.

Although there were more.

It turns out that almost at the same moment that Roglic charged for the stage, Evenepoel suffered a puncture and was disconnected from the peloton.

His chance is blessed because the regulations establish that all those who suffer a mishap on a flat finish —not like that in the mountains— and once they have entered the last three kilometers (be it a fall, a puncture...) do not lose time with respect to the group in who they were at that time.

He was saved by very little, less than a kilometer.

“I don't know how far I was from the finish line, although the day before I did a reconnaissance of the last 15 kilometers.

I was a little worried, really," Remco resolved.

Although he was practical: "It's good to puncture at three kilometers and not at five seeing how the end of the stage has been...".

The luck of the champion against the misfortune of the applicant, who, obviously,

it is not so because his have been the last three crowns.

The Slovenian has the consolation, yes, that he cut eight seconds from the leader, applying the same rule of the last three kilometers.

It remains to be seen how Roglic, a gladiator who won the battle, but could lose the war before his time, recovers.

As reported by Jumbo at night, the team together with the doctor will decide this Wednesday morning if the Slovenian cyclist will take the start.

🏆 Leaders after stage 1⃣6⃣ |

Leaders After Stage 1⃣6⃣

❤️ 🇧🇪 @evenepoelremco - @qst_alphavinyl

💚 🇩🇰 @Mads__Pedersen - @treksegafredo

💙 🇦🇺 @jayvine3 - @Alpecindck

🤍 🇧🇪 Evenepoel - Qst Alpha Vinyl

🚴🚴🚴 @TeameMira

. LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/tcloSLJtK7

– The Return (@lavuelta) September 6, 2022

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on