Pais Vasco, stage 5: Roglic tightens GC grip; Fraile wins
Spanish rider Omar Fraile wins Friday's stage 5 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco as Primoz Roglic keeps overall lead.
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EIBAR, Spain (AFP) — Spanish rider Omar Fraile (Astana) won Friday’s stage 5 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, a 163km run from Vitoria to Eibar, with two tough climbs ahead of a summit finish.
But Slovenia’s former Primoz Roglic took another major step toward the overall title, defending the yellow jersey by finishing second to the winner along with four other climbers. Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) was third.
Roglic, 28, put in a blistering time trial on Thursday to snatch the lead off France’s Julian Alaphilippe and win the stage.
Quick-Step’s leader Alaphilippe was dropped in stage 5 and lost 2:25 to the lead group.
The LottoNL-Jumbo rider Roglic now only needs to nurse a lead of over two minutes on Saturday’s final day run over five category three hills.
Roglic leads Spain’s Izagirre by 2:13 and another Spaniard, Movistar’s Mikel Landa by 2:17.
Landa said he was giving up nothing yet.
“Keeping a place on the podium would be good, but we think we can do some damage too. Maybe Roglic will pay tomorrow for his efforts today and until the very last moment we’ll keep on trying,” Landa said.
Top 10, stage 5
- 1. Omar Fraile Matarranz, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 3:53:59
- 2. Primož RogliČ, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :04
- 3. Jon Izaguirre Insausti, BAHRAIN – MERIDA, at :06
- 4. Carlos Verona, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, at :10
- 5. Jose Herrada, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, s.t.
- 6. Mikel Landa Meana, MOVISTAR TEAM, s.t.
- 7. Mark Padun, BAHRAIN – MERIDA, at :25
- 8. Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:37
- 9. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa, UAE TEAM EMIRATES, s.t.
- 10. Jai Hindley, TEAM SUNWEB, s.t.
Top-10 overall
- 1. Primož RogliČ, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, in 17:35:19
- 2. Mikel Landa Meana, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:57
- 3. Jon Izaguirre Insausti, BAHRAIN – MERIDA, at 2:13
- 4. Julian Alaphilippe, QUICK – STEP FLOORS, at 2:55
- 5. Bauke Mollema, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 3:06
- 6. Emanuel Buchmann, BORA – HANSGROHE, at 3:21
- 7. Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 3:30
- 8. Nairo Quintana, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 3:41
- 9. David De La Cruz Melgarejo, TEAM SKY, at 3:49
- 10. Rigoberto Uran, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at 3:57