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EFE · Road Competition · 09/17/2020
Colombian cyclist Miguel Ángel López (Astana) justified that he did not shoot in the final stretch of the 18th stage of the Tour de France to distance Australian Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) because “he had no benefit.”
“It was run at a good pace, but I am satisfied to have arrived with the best, without problems in the fight,” said the Astana rider, third overall at 1 minute and 27 seconds behind the leader, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo -Visma).
“We are facing these days with positivity, I am happy with what has been achieved and that it is what God wants in the Time Trial. I have worked a lot on that discipline and in a time trial after 20 stages, the important thing is the strength and the legs,” said the Colombian.
López gave up working in the group of favorites to distance Australian Porte, who had been left off the hook by a puncture and who is his main threat for third place on the podium. The Colombian has an income of 1 minute and 39 seconds with the Trek-Segafredo cyclist.
“I was not risking anything. (Mikel) Landa told me to pass, but they were interested in gaining positions. It was enough for me to arrive, it had no benefit and it would have tired me,” he said.
Mikel Landa: “At least I have won two places in the general classification”
Spaniard Mikel Landa, who tried to gain time in the 18th stage of the Tour de France but entered the group of favorites, regretted that no other contenders for the general classification dared to join his attack.
“It was the last chance and it was a pity that there are no more days like this and that nobody has cheered. A pity, but at least I have won two places in the general,” said the Bahrain rider, who is now fifth to 3 minutes and 28 seconds of Roglic.
Landa assured that on the descent from the port, when the Australian Richie Porte got off the hook, he had a good understanding with his compatriot Enric Mas, but not with the Colombian Miguel Ángel López, who resigned to collaborate to distance the fourth from the general.
“I don’t like to attack when the opponent punctures, but the race is the race,” said the Spaniard.
Landa is 2 minutes and 1 second from the podium, in the absence of the time trial at La Planche des Belles Filles next Saturday.
“I am motivated to face it, I have worked a lot in that specialty and I want to do a good time trial,” he said.
The Spaniard regretted that the day before he could not finish off the good work of the team.
Landa confirmed that he wants to go to the Cycling World Cup, which takes place next week. “It is not in Switzerland, it is the dream World Cup, I will try to recover and see how it turns out,” he commented.
Enric Mas: “It has been a difficult day, but I am satisfied”
Enric Mas (Movistar), rose two places in the general classification and is now sixth, 4 minutes and 19 seconds behind the leader, the Slovenian Primoz Rogic (Jumbo-Visma). The Mallorcan cyclist does not give up and hopes to continue climbing in the general classification in next Saturday’s time trial at La Planche des Belles Filles.
The mountain has not yet finished, there is still a very hard one, which is La Planche des Belles Filles. It will be a chrono of strength in the initial flat section and later, a kind of ‘chronoscalada’. We can only try to do our best and see how far we go. “
Mas, 25, second classified in the 2018 Vuelta, celebrated the fact of having eliminated two rivals of the general classification on the last day of the Alps, the British Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) and the Colombian Rigoberto Urán (Education First ), who go to seventh and eighth places, behind Mikel Landa (Mahrain-McLaren) and Enric Mas himself.
“It has been a difficult day, but I am satisfied. I think we have defended ourselves well, trying to attack as well and leave a good impression. We came to do a good Tour, a very good overall, and little by little we have been achieving it.”
“This time we have achieved those two positions, ‘taking away’ rivals like Yates and Urán, two very important riders, and we are happy, little by little climbing those positions. We already said that in the third week we were going to do better, and so it has it happened again. “
Mas commented on the last kilometers of the stage, when there was “negotiation” in the group of favorites to try to eliminate Yates and Urán, in which there was no consensus.
“With the accumulation of efforts, the Glières ramps and that last stretch of dirt, although it was short, the end was really hard. Seeing how the situation was, with Porte and Urán behind, I was interested in shooting, and there I was seen talking to López “.
That negotiation did not bear fruit with “Supermán” López, who did not consider it suitable for his interests as third place to help increase the speed of the main group.
“There were very different interests in the group, some wanted to shoot, others didn’t, Jumbo told us that Wout Van Aert was coming from behind … and in the end we ended up getting those two groups together.”
General classification after stage 18 (Top-10):
1. Primoz Roglic (SLO / Jumbo-Visma): 79:45:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO / UAE Emirates) at 0:57
3. Miguel Ángel López (COL / Astana) at 1:27
4. Richie Porte (AUS / Trek-Segafredo) at 3:06
5. MIKEL LANDA (ESP / Bahrain-McLaren) at 3:28
6. ENRIC MAS (ESP / MOVISTAR) at 4:19
7. Adam Yates (GBR / Mitchelton-Scott) at 5:55
8. Rigoberto Urán (COL / First Education) at 6:05
9. Tom Dumoulin (NED / Jumbo-Visma) at 7:24 am
10. ALEJANDRO VALVERDE (ESP / MOVISTAR) at 12:12
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