First Spanish stage win at the Vuelta a Espana 2023: Jesus Herrada from Cofidis triumphed on the 11th stage after 163.2 kilometres between Lerma and La Laguna Negra. The 33-year-old was part of a 26-rider breakaway group that decided victory among themselves on the final climb. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) confidently defended the red jersey.
"The final suited me. It went very well for me. It was difficult to get into the breakaway. There were a lot of strong riders like Geraint Thomas. I waited until the last 300 metres, started the sprint and then it worked out," said Jesus Herrada in the official winner's interview.
Vuelta a Espana 2023 - Results: The top 10 of stage 11
- Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) 3:29:17
- Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ) +0:03
- Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny) +0:08
- Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education EasyPost) +0:12
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:19
- Pelayo Sanchez (Burgos-BH) +0:24
- Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) +0:24
- Nicolas Prodhomme (AG2R-Citroën Team) +0:27
- Dorian Godon (AG2R-Citroën Team) +0:58
- Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) +1:16
The current overall standings
- Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 39:27:45
- Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) +0:26
- Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step) +1:09
- Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:36
- Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) +2:02
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +2:16
- Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +2:22
- Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +2:25
- Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:50
- Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) +3:14
This is how the 11th stage of the Tour of Spain 2023 went
Juan Ayuso was already in pain during the neutralised phase. The 20-year-old from UAE Team Emirates crashed there and subsequently received treatment in the race doctor's car. The Spaniard was able to continue his ride and did not lose any time on his closest rivals in the battle for the red jersey - he remains in eighth place.
It took a long time before a leading group was able to break away from the peloton. The race was correspondingly fast. In the first hour, 47.7 kilometres were covered. Only then did the breakaway group of the day form: 26 riders were in it. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) was the best-placed rider in the overall standings. The 2018 Tour de France winner had a gap of 13:05 minutes before the 11th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2023, which he reduced to 7:34 minutes at the finish - also thanks to the help of his team-mate Filippo Ganna.
Quiet day for Sepp Kuss
In the peloton, Jumbo-Visma controlled the action and kept the breakaway group on a long leash with a lead of around five minutes. Sepp Kuss' red jersey was never in danger at any point.
Shortly before the final climb, Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) pulled away from his companions at the front. However, he was quickly caught and passed by his pursuers. Ganna set such a fast pace for Geraint Thomas that rider after rider was dropped at the end of the group. The Italian time trial specialist was only at the end of his tether around 1500 metres before the finish. Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education EasyPost) attacked, but was unable to get away. Shortly afterwards, he tried a second time and pulled away slightly. However, Geraint Thomas brought the chasers back within striking distance. Around 300 metres before the finish, Jesus Herrada then attacked, which none of his companions were able to counter.
Little happened in the group of favourites. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bora-Hansgrohe) launched an attack, but was caught again a few metres before the finish by the sprinting Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step), who had the rest of his rivals in tow.
Vuelta 2023: Read the 11th stage in the blog
On Thursday, the Tour of Spain 2023 will begin with the Stage 12 Next: 150.6 kilometres between Olvega and Zaragoza. The sprinters are likely to be in demand again there.
