Vine hints at decisive Vuelta attack by UAE and Almeida against Vingegaard: "Final climb is just a bonus"

“To come in second to Ganna... it’s incredible, just beaten by one of the best time trialists in the world. Nothing more that I could do. I was looking down at the watts. I was not able to go any faster. I looked at the TV before I was setting off and he was doing 67 (kph, ed.) I think at one point. I don’t think I even got close to that number!”

Still, the gap at the finish line was minimal. A solid result for Vine, who says he still has one big day left in the legs. On Saturday, UAE team leader João Almeida will need to make up a 40-second deficit to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) in a decisive mountain stage to the Bola del Mundo. “We will see what we can do,” said Vine.

The gap is now 10 seconds smaller after the time trial, and according to Vine, that’s something to work with. “Joao is clearly in good shape, the deficit is slightly smaller, and it’s all-in for a really hard stage. Actually, I think the final climb is probably not going to be the super decisive part of the race, I think it’s actually the accumulated three weeks of racing, and also the stage itself being really tough. The final climb is just a bonus, I guess."

What exactly did he mean by that? Well, it’s possible UAE will already go on the attack at the Alto del León or especially the Puerto de Navacerrada. Both climbs on Saturday are around 7 kilometers long with an average gradient of about 7%. Still, the Bola del Mundo, which is over 12 kilometers at an average of 8.6%, will likely remain the hardest part of the day.

Or will it?