Ackermann and Roglic triumph in Madrid

La Vuelta 2020 | Stage 18 | Hipódromo de la Zarzuela > Madrid. Paisaje de la Luz

Cycling: Road Wold Championships / Campeonatos del Mundo de Ruta / TTI / Contrarreloj Individual / Men Junior / Hombres Junior /DESCRIPCIÓN / DESCRIPTIONHarrogate (27,6,7 km) 23-09-2019/Road Wold Championships / Campeonatos del Mundo de Ruta /Luis An
Cycling: Road Wold Championships / Campeonatos del Mundo de Ruta / TTI / Contrarreloj Individual / Men Junior / Hombres Junior /DESCRIPCIÓN / DESCRIPTIONHarrogate (27,6,7 km) 23-09-2019/Road Wold Championships / Campeonatos del Mundo de Ruta /Luis An © Luis Angel Gomez / Photo Gomez S

The 2020 season of cycling ended this Sunday in Madrid with a fast and furious finish dominated by the German sprinter Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe), claiming victory a handful of millimetres ahead of the Irishman Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick Step). Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) survived the day to claim the overall victory again, after he became in 2019 the first Slovenian rider to win a Grand Tour. The riders can now celebrate their achievements in a unique year of racing and prepare for the 2021 season.

The 142-man peloton take it easy as they roll from Hipodromo de La Zarzuela, en route to Madrid. After three weeks of battle through Spain, it’s time for them to celebrate their accomplishments and the end of the season as they reach the capital city. Primoz Roglic and his Jumbo-Visma teammates take a moment at the front of the bunch as the Slovenian star is about to clinch his second overall victory in La Vuelta, a year after he became the first rider from his country to win a Grand Tour.

The pace increases as the riders enter Madrid, with some 40km to go. From then, the action never stops. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), one of the main protagonists of this edition with 2 stage wins already, attacks with Jonathan Lastra (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Willie Smit (Burgos-BH). Lastra quickly drops back to the peloton but his teammate Gonzalo Serrano, the only rider from Madrid participating in La Vuelta 20, joins the front group. Dmitriy Gruzdev (Astana) also bridges the gap.

Jasper Philispen’s UAE Team Emirates, Sam Bennett’s Deceuninck-Quick Step and Pascal Ackermann’s Bora-Hansgrohe are the most active teams to control the gap, always under 30’’. The attackers are reeled in just ahead of the final lap, with 6km to go. Bora-Hansgrohe lead the bunch into the final kilometre and Pascal Ackermann delivers, claiming victory millimetres ahead of Sam Bennett. Primoz Roglic finishes inside the peloton and wins La Vuelta 20.

Highlights - Stage 18 | La Vuelta 20

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