Adam Yates claimed victory in the ninth stage of the Vuelta a España, attacking early and holding off the competition to secure a solo win in Granada. The UAE Team Emirates rider made his decisive move on the iconic Alto de Hazallanas climb and managed to maintain his lead, finishing with a gap of 1:39 ahead of Richard Carapaz.
Yates, who frequently trains in the area and got married in Granada last year, expressed his joy at the win, despite the punishing heat. “I had never suffered like this before,” Yates admitted. “It was so hot out there. Over the last time, I was cramping full, and I’ve had a lot of bad luck over the years in Grand Tours, so I really didn’t know if I could make it. I’m just so happy I could finally win another Grand Tour stage.”
The 178.5-kilometre stage from Motril to Granada, marked by three category-one climbs, also saw Ben O’Connor put in a solid performance to retain his overall lead. O’Connor crossed the line in third, grabbing valuable bonus seconds that extended his lead in the general classification to 3:53.
Reflecting on his day, O’Connor said, “I felt much more up to what I know I can do. We had a great day today as a team, and I showed I’m not going to be pushed over for this red jersey. It was much better than yesterday.”
Meanwhile, Enric Mas narrowly avoided disaster on the high-speed descent into Granada. A gust of wind almost blew the Spanish rider off course, but he managed to regain control just in time. “I think on TV it looked scarier than it really was,” Mas remarked. “Basically, the wind blew me off course, but just as well I didn’t fall.”
Photo Credit: Unipublic/Sprint Cycling AgencyMas had earlier made a bold attack on the Hazallanas climb, gaining nearly a minute on overall favourite Primož Roglič. However, he was eventually caught before the finish. Despite this, Mas was pleased with his performance, noting that his condition bodes well for the rest of the race. “I’m pleased with the feelings more than anything else,” he said. “Finally, my move was more interesting as a spectacle than gaining time, though if we’d had a summit finish today, it’d have been a different story.”
Primož Roglič, who had been expected to make a strong push on the day’s climbs, found himself struggling instead. “I didn’t have the legs,” Roglič admitted after finishing with the main group of contenders. He added, “I’m just happy that it’s finished and that it’s a rest day tomorrow.”
Yates’s win, which also earned him the lead in the King of the Mountains classification, marked a significant recovery for the British rider after a crash earlier in the race. With the race set to move to the cooler north of Spain after the first rest day, Yates is now considering his options for the overall classification. “I’ll see what my legs are like on Tuesday’s stage with the cooler weather and then I’ll give you a better answer about that,” he said.
In the breakaway group, Wout van Aert and Max Poole made valiant efforts but eventually fell back. 2-time stage winner of this race, Wout Van Aert, who had initially been part of the 26-man breakaway, praised the strength of Yates’s teammates in the break. “Chapeau that they were able to finish it,” Van Aert said, adding that he was looking forward to the rest day after two gruelling stages.
Sepp Kuss, who finished fifteenth on the stage, also struggled in the heat but remained optimistic about his form. “The heat played its role from the start,” Kuss said. “On the final climb, I decided to choose my own pace. Looking back, I’m satisfied that I managed to limit the damage again.”
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 result
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