Clement Champoussin (AG2R Citroen) claimed a surprise victory on a dramatic stage 20 at the Vuelta a Espana with a stunning late attack as Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) all but sealed the general classification for a third consecutive year.
You can rewatch STAGE 20 of 2021 Vuelta a Espana HERE
Roglic finished the stage in second, 6 seconds behind Champoussin, but 2 seconds and as many places ahead of Enric Mas (Movistar) who, barring any mishaps, will finish the race second.
It was a nightmare day for Mas’s team mate Miguel Angel Lopez, who started the day third.
The Colombian slid down the standings before abandoning the race just 20 kilometres from the end, one day short of the finish line.
The 202.2km course from Sanxenxo to Mos. Castro de Herville contained five categorised climbs and was eventful from the off, with a lengthy breakaway distancing the peloton.
Just over 50km from the end Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates) produced a solo attack and hit the final climb, the Alto Castro de Herville, in the lead.
The South African was reeled in with 3.3km to go by a group containing Roglic, Mas, Adam Yates, Jack Haig and Mikel Bizkarra.
The group jockeyed for position as the climb kicked up, but were caught cold by Champoussin, who attacked from behind and soloed away to victory.
Roglic has a 2:38 lead over Mas, who in turn leads Haig by 2:10 with the podium spots looking secure ahead of Sunday’s final stage, a 33.8km individual time trial from Padron to Santiago de Compostela.
