Soler and UAE take the win, but Visma | Lease a Bike's domestiques claim moral victory after grueling Vuelta mountain stage

Visma | Lease a Bike survived the fourteenth stage of the Vuelta to La Farrapona on Saturday. The Dutch team did not actively chase the leading group, allowing Marc Soler of major rival UAE Emirates-XRG to claim his seventh victory for that team. However, Jonas Vingegaard won two bonus seconds back on Joao Almeida, as did his most essential domestiques.

Sepp Kuss and Ben Tulett were able to keep up on the final climb and finished ninth and sixteenth. “It was a tough stage, which I expected, especially after yesterday. We expected UAE to push hard on the penultimate climb, where they rode really fast. At the end, there was a lot of headwind, so there weren't many places where you could make a difference,” the American told TV2.

According to Kuss, there was an apparent reason why Visma | Lease a Bike didn't really take control on the final climb. “Jonas felt good, but with the headwind, there was no way to make a difference. It's good that Jonas picked up some bonuses, and I think it was a good day for us.”

Tulett spoke to Eurosport. “We knew it was going to be a challenging stage, which could go either way: either a battle between the GC contenders or a large breakaway. In the end, it was a bit of both, which made it a very tough day.”

“UAE Emirates-XRG took control of the race and set a strong pace, but we managed to keep up. Victor (Campenaerts, ed.) rode at the front as a satellite rider, and it was great to have him by our side for a while, so he could still help us on the final climb,” continued the Brit.

“Jonas' second place makes it a good day, and I think we came out as the moral winners. Jonas is performing at a very high level, but the competition is also very strong. Every day will be a battle, but we are ready for it,” Tulett explained.

Their rivals UAE are taking a very different approach: after Ayuso, Vine, and Almeida, Soler has now won a stage. “We knew that Marc would be one of the riders they could send ahead, and we know that he can then hold on to the finish, but he could also have served as a satellite rider, just like Victor. In the end, he was strong enough, so hats off to him.”