Johan Bruyneel baffled by Decathlon's tactics at the Vuelta a España: 'Two things we need to analyze'

Sunday was Enric Mas’s big day at the Vuelta a España. The Spanish Movistar rider won Stage 9 while wearing the red jersey. But Decathlon CMA CGM’s tactics may have been an even bigger topic of conversation after the race. What exactly went wrong there? Johan Bruyneel offers an answer to that question.

"We gave it another try and showed that we're racing aggressively. But actually, I should have taken my turn only 7 or 6 kilometers from the finish. I ended up in the wind a little too early this time, so I couldn't really do my job all the way. "It wasn’t perfect," Gregor Mühlberger said after the stage.

With those words, the Austrian rider from Decathlon actually summed up exactly what everyone had seen. The French team had pushed hard at the front very early on the final climb, leaving team leader Felix Gall isolated very early on. The Austrian ultimately lost 18 seconds to Mas. With 10 bonus seconds, that turned into a loss of 28 seconds.

That’s what Bruyneel concluded as well. “Considering that they had so many riders, I think they overplayed their hand,” he says in the THEMOVE podcast. “There are two things we need to analyze. What did they achieve, and what did they set out to achieve? Did they want to gain time on the competition, or did they want to win the stage?”

According to the former cyclist, this was preceded by a miscalculation. “I think they set the pace too early and too fast, and that they had to forget about winning the stage. That’s not their concern. They should have maintained a steady, brisk pace—one that would keep their riders in the mix for as long as possible. Then Gall could have attacked later.”

In the end, it happened 7 kilometers from the finish line. “That’s way too early. I don’t know what they were thinking,” said Bruyneel, trying to explain the overconfidence. “Decathlon is also a team that isn’t used to doing this. They’re discovering that collective strength. Did they get the right guidance from the team car? Didn’t they get a little too enthusiastic back there?”

"I think they really overplayed their hand, that they were too eager, and that Gall attacked way too early," Bruyneel repeats. "Gall probably wasn't having his best day either. At the same time, there hasn't been a single day yet when he's pulled away from his competitors in a dominant fashion. On the contrary: he lost a bit of time here and there. He has to attack, but it was really way too early.”

How different that was at Movistar, which remained very calm and ultimately managed to get the job done. “Mas, I think, was the opposite. Gall had plans, and so did Decathlon, but they realised they didn’t have the strength. Mas, on the other hand, realised along the way that he was feeling better and better.”

Bruyneel praises the experienced rider from Mallorca. “He also rode very smart, because he kept closing the gap little by little instead of going for the wheel all at once. After such a long and tough day, that’s probably the best way to do it. In the final 2 kilometers, he was truly amazing.”

So the Belgian doesn’t really understand Decathlon, praises Mas and Movistar, but also notes that the gaps remained strikingly small. “Today was the toughest day of the Vuelta in terms of elevation gain. The gap between 1st and 9th place is 54 seconds. So the gaps aren’t big. The top four riders finished within 18 seconds of each other.” That looks promising!