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6th and 9th place, and a day in the breakaway: strong stage 17 of the Vuelta for the team

"A day in the breakaway and two top-ten finishes. That was the haul for Lotto Dstny today in Santander, where stage 17 of the Vuelta finished. 'I came so close... better luck tomorrow,' reacted Victor Campenaerts, who ended up in 6th place.
04 September 2024
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'Les jambes en feu,' as Arnaud De Lie would say. My legs were burning," says Victor Campenaerts. 'I felt very good, but unfortunately, the peloton caught up with us. It is what it is. Tomorrow is a new chance.'

Stage 17 of this Vuelta, a transition stage starting in Arnuero and finishing in Santander, was marked by a breakaway of four, including Jonas Gregaard. The Dane from Lotto Dstny stayed in the lead with three others until the final. "I knew this morning that today was a good opportunity,' says Gregaard. 'With a stronger group or two extra riders, we might have stayed ahead. Not everyone was pulling their weight. We got far, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough."

A bunch sprint ultimately proved unavoidable, although Victor Campenaerts tried to avoid it twice. "Especially when Mauro Schmid went for it, I saw a chance. If the peloton hadn't caught up, I would have owed him a beer in Madrid." Unfortunately, that happened 300 meters from the finish line, so Campenaerts had to settle for sixth place in Santander today. Arjen Livyns sprinted to a ninth place in the bunch.

 

Pictures: Unipublic/Cxcling/Naike Ereñozaga and PhotoNews