The 2009 red jersey winner, Alejandro Valverde of Movistar, rolled back the years at the Vuelta a España on Sunday, beating Team Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski in an uphill sprint to be crowned king of the Caminito del Rey.
However, Kwiatkowski’s second runners-up placing in two days was enough to see him take the overall lead, as a dominant Team Sky looked untroubled by the absence of Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.
Valverde’s win was his 10th Vuelta stage since he made his Grand Tour debut here in 2002. The triumph consolidated the 38-year-old’s status as one of the most successful riders of his generation. “I love La Vuelta,” the Spaniard said afterwards. “The Giro is a beautiful race, the Tour is a beautiful race. But for me La Vuelta is the most beautiful. It’s my home country and winning here is always special.”
Kwiatkowski was magnanimous. “The fans enjoyed a Valverde win,” he said with a laugh.
The 163.5km stage two began amid the opulence of Marbella, with its marina and countless golf courses. Under a warm sun the 176-rider peloton headed inland, passing picturesque hillside hamlets and imposing wind turbines. A Thomas De Gendt-led breakaway animated early proceedings up the Puerto de Ojén climb, establishing a lead that at one point stretched past three minutes.
The time gap diminished as the peloton ascended the sunburnt summit of the Caminito del Rey, famous for a path pinned to the sheer walls of El Chorro gorge – popularly known, until recent repairs, as the world’s most dangerous walkway. The lead group’s numbers dwindled as it headed towards the base of the Caminito for a second and final attempt, ultimately being swamped by the peloton with 19km remaining.
The catch precipitated a series of attacks, as Movistar and Sky jostled for position ahead of the decisive climb. Laurens De Plus made an audacious late solo move, but could not hold off Valverde and Kwiatkowski on the final ramp.
The general classification contenders Simon Yates, Nairo Quintana and Thibaut Pinot finished safely in the bunch while the pre-race favourite Richie Porte lost over 13 minutes. The Australian was hit by gastroenteritis on the eve of the Vuelta and was in evident pain in the closing kilometres.
The Vuelta continues on Monday with a 178.2km stage departing from Mijas on the Andalusian coast. An early category one ascent of the scenic Puerto del Madroño provides the first major climbing test of the Grand Tour, before a false-flat finish in Alhaurín de la Torre offers an opportunity for sprinters and punchers alike.
