For the second year running in O Gran Camiño, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) proved he was where he needed to be in his first race of the season with a devastating solo triumph in the hills of Galicia.
The winner of three stages and the overall in 2023 at O Gran Camiño, Vingegaard opted to ease back in the opening time trial on Thursday after high winds meant the race could go ahead but times not counting for the overall ranking.
Friday was a very different story though, as Vingegaard first set his team working hard in the final hour’s racing, and then with seven kilometres to go on the Alto de San Pedro de Licora climb, the Dane made a powerful opening attack.
Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) was able to stay with Vingegaard, showing once again that he is heading back towards top form, along with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA’s Jefferson Cepeda. Then another surging move by Vingegaard left Bernal behind on the stage, and very likely the race, which decided in the Dane's favour.
His face drawn with the cold at the finish as he moved from one interview to another, Vingegaard was nonetheless evidently delighted with a success that confirmed that just as he did in 2023, Vingegaard has hit the ground running in 2024.
With temperatures barely reaching 5 degrees Celsius at the finish and driving rain making riders even colder, Vingegaard spoke to a small group of reporters, including Cyclingnews.
"It was first of all a very cold day, with a lot of rain. But we managed to do very well as a team and the boys did super well today, and so I’m happy I could pay off with a win in the end.”
Taking his first win in his second full day of racing was a dream result in anyone’s book, and Vingegaard recognised that, saying, “Yeah it’s true, I’m very happy. The shape is where i want it to be, and I can be happy with myself and with how the team raced.”
Vingegaard paid tribute to Bernal’s huge effort to follow him on the stage, which netted the Colombian a notable second place at the finish.
“He seemed very strong on the climb so it’s nice to see him back on such a high level. Of course, I’m also happy that I could drop him in the end so I’m happy with the win today.”
The viciously and rainy cold weather, “really wasn’t that pleasant, but that’s part of racing, and it’s equal for everyone,” Vingegaard reflected, but a question from one journalist whether he was enjoying being in Galicia drew a round of laughter from the group of reporters.
“Well, I do like it here but I will say that today not the nicest race I’ve had ever.”
In the short-term though, despite the difficulties, Vingegaard has reaped some important rewards, not only taking the stage win but the overall lead. With 13 rivals still at less than a minute and the final day’s double ascent of the seven-kilometre Monte Aloia still to come, the GC battle is not over just yet.
After dominating the opposition on a day which was widely predicted to end in a small group sprint, not to mention showing that the cold weather is anything but an obstacle for him, O Gran Camiño is now effectively his to lose. And in terms of the bigger picture, too, for his Tour de France rivals, a knock-out triumph on this scale will be difficult to ignore.
