The Bahrain runner wins in a very tight final against Alaphilippe
BARCELONA, 6 Apr. (SportsFinding) –
The Spanish cyclist Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) won the sprint this Wednesday in the third stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco, 182 kilometers starting in Llodio and finishing in Amurrio, while the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) will retain the overall leader’s jersey for the third consecutive day.
Pello Bilbao beat Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step), the reigning world champion and winner of this Tuesday’s stage, in the final meters. In this way, he has achieved the first Spanish ‘WorldTour’ victory of the season on the third day of Itzulia 2022.
The Biscayan won with a time of 4 hours, 35 minutes and 24 seconds against Alaphilippe, who tried to revalidate the victory for the second consecutive day, but Bilbao, after a great sprint in the last meters of the race, managed to prevail.
In the case of Roglic, the winner of the Vuelta a España and one of the big names in this edition of the Itzulia, he finished the day in seventh position after not being able to fight for victory in the last meters of the race. Despite this, the good time harvested in the last two stages and his victory in the time trial on the first day, keep him as the leader in the general classification with the last three stages remaining.
The fourth day of the Vuelta al País Vasco 2022 will start from the capital of Alava and enter Bizkaia through Arratia until reaching the finish line in Zamudio, where the cyclists will have to face the tough ascents of Urruztimendi and Ganguren, also known as “El Nursery”.
–CLASSIFICATIONS.
-Stage.
1. PELLO BILBAO (ESP/ Bahrain Victorious) 4:35:24.
2. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/Deceuninck-Quick Step) m.t.
-. Fabien Doubey (FRA/TotalEnergies) mt
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS/ Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) m.t.
-. David Gaudu (FRA/Groupama-FDJ) mt
6. ENRIC MAS (ESP / Movistar) mt
-General.
1. Primoz Roglic (SLO / Jumbo-Visma) 9:49:47.
2. Remco Evenepoel (BEL/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) a 5.
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS/ Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) a 14.
4. Adam Yates (GBR/INEOS Grenadiers) a 18.
5. PELLO BILBAO (ESP/ Bahrain Victorious) a 19.