Disappointed Viviani shows sportsmanship toward Philipsen: “That’s not how I win races”

Now 36 years old and riding for Lotto–Dstny, Viviani is no longer considered among the fastest sprinters in the peloton, but he’s proving in this Vuelta that he still knows how to sprint. After a solid fourth place on the opening stage, the Italian seemed headed for victory in Stage 8. Teammate Jasper De Buyst delivered a textbook lead-out, but the finish line came just too late. Philipsen found a gap and surged past in the final meters, much to Viviani’s disappointment.

“You see the line approaching, and you feel the finish getting closer, but when you’re sprinting against someone like Philipsen, it’s never over until you’ve crossed the line,” Viviani reflected. The sting of this missed opportunity will likely linger, especially with limited sprint chances left in the remaining two weeks of the Vuelta. “This was really a missed chance. It’s even more painful because of the work the team did. They were fantastic. They dropped me off in the perfect position.”

“It was a bit confusing where I should launch the sprint, whether space would open on the left or the right,” Viviani continued. “But when you look back at a sprint like this, you could say there were a hundred ways to do it differently, and maybe then you win. But in the moment, you follow your instinct. When I go, I go.” Viviani was aware of Philipsen’s position but chose to race cleanly. “I heard Philipsen shouting along the barriers, and I didn’t want to box him in. That’s not how I win races.”

Despite the disappointment, Viviani remains positive about his performance in Zaragoza. “I have to stay positive. I have to see what the team did, because I couldn’t have asked for more.” The 36-year-old also proved he’s still a rider to be reckoned with. “These last eight days, I was already happy just to be here. It’s been a tough race, but to come this close to a major goal shows I’m still a serious athlete at 36. I was beaten by the best sprinter in the world. I’m happy I was part of it. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish it off, but that’s cycling.”