Unibet Rose Rockets see Groenewegen miss out again in elite sprint against Girmay

Spain — like other countries in southern Europe — has been hit by poor weather several times this week. The Vuelta a Murcia was heavily impacted by strong winds, leading to major changes to the programme. Almería, however, largely escaped the worst of it, with the one-day race able to run its full course.

That meant a “normal” 189.7 kilometres on the menu between Puebla de Vicar and Roquetas de Mar. There were some hills in the opening part of the route, but the expectation was still a sprint finish on the Spanish coast.

Plenty of fast men had therefore made the trip to Spain, and it was the sprint teams who took responsibility for chasing down the day’s five-man break. NSN did a lot of work on the front for Girmay, while Cofidis (for Fretin) and Unibet Rose Rockets (for Groenewegen) also contributed.

The five leaders — none of them major names — were initially given plenty of room. Their advantage grew to around five minutes before gradually coming down again. Around halfway, two short climbs followed in quick succession, with the gap already dropping towards three minutes.

When the riders hit the local finishing circuit, which they had to complete three times, the break’s advantage had disappeared quickly. With 22 kilometres to go, the early move was caught for good, giving the sprint teams time to get their lead-out trains organised.

But bringing back a break quickly often brings stress too. Several riders hit the deck in quick succession, thinning out the bunch. The key teams and the main sprinters avoided trouble, and a reduced front group still had the numbers for an “elite sprint.” Girmay edged it in the finale, ahead of Fretin (Cofidis).