Miguel Angel Lopez Places Second in Vuelta a España Stage atop Sierra de La Pandera

In Stage 14 of the Vuelta a España, Miguel Angel Lopez of Astana Qazaqstan finished second atop Sierra de La Pandera, just eight seconds behind Olympic champion Richard Carapaz. The stage was won by Carapaz from the break of the day, but Lopez and Primoz Roglic were hot on his heels.

Roglic launched an attack on the last nine-kilometer climb, distancing Red Jersey holder Remco Evenepoel. Lopez and Mas were able to follow Roglic initially, but it was Lopez alone who could keep pace with him. However, they were unable to close the gap in the last kilometer due to a steep descent leading to a 300-meter kick-up to the finish line.

“We saw him that final kilometer, but I knew that climb. Although Primoz and I were chasing him full gas, it was impossible to close that gap in the last kilometer as it was down a steep descent before a 300-meter kick-up to the finish line. Just as in 2017, I finish second on this Sierra de La Pandera. The most important thing, however, is that things are going well. I feel better every day. There is progression and I hope we can continue this way,” said Miguel Angel Lopez.

Lopez’s strong performance moved him to sixth place in the overall classification. When asked about his chances of reaching the podium, Lopez replied, “No, I don’t dream of a podium yet. I feel good for the moment, but we still have a long way to go to Madrid.”

The stage also witnessed attacks from Yevgeniy Fedorov and Vincenzo Nibali, with Carapaz and Alexey Lutsenko forming part of a ten-rider breakaway. Nibali was the first attacker of the day but was caught and immediately attempted another attack.

The next challenge for the riders will be the climb to the Alto Hoya de la Mora, situated 2500 meters above sea level in the Sierra Nevada, before Monday’s rest day.

Photo credit: @Gettysport