BARCELONA: Juan Ayuso claimed overall victory in the Tour of the Basque Country on Saturday, as Spanish compatriot Carlos Rodriguez snatched a gripping stage win.
Ayuso, a UAE Team Emirates rider, capitalised after many of the favourites abandoned the race following a horrific mass crash during stage four. On Saturday, he crossed the line second behind Rodriguez.
Jonas Vingegaard suffered lung injuries, a broken collarbone and broken ribs in the incident on Thursday, which raised questions over his chances of securing a third consecutive Tour de France triumph.
Remco Evenepoel also broke a collarbone while then leader Primoz Roglic dropped out after the crash too, although he did not suffer any fractures.
That left the general classification battle wide open, with Mattias Skjelmose ahead of Max Schachmann by two seconds going into the tricky final stage.
Ayuso won out, to claim his first World Tour level title.
The 21-year-old celebrated at the finish line with his dog, who was waiting with family and friends.
"It was a team triumph, we went perfectly," Ayuso told Basque television channel EITB.
"It means a lot to get my first win, it's incredible."
Starting and ending in Eibar, riders tackled seven classified climbs over 137.8 kilometres on one of the season's toughest days of racing.
UAE had strength in numbers and used it to win the tactical battle, with Ayuso and Ineos Grenadiers rider Rodriguez going up the road to leave Skjelmose behind in the final 20 kilometres.
"I think he deserves it, he was so strong today," Rodriguez said of Ayuso.
The pair worked well together.
"Obviously he had the general classification to win and I could get a podium finish – I had an interest in working with him."
Ayuso, who suffered minor injuries of his own during a fall on stage three, started the day four seconds behind Lidl-Trek's Skjelmose.
The Dane battled hard to try and finish second overall but was eventually pipped to the line by Ayuso's team-mate Marc Soler.
That propelled Rodriguez into second in the general classification with the Dane relegated to third after missing out on the bonus seconds.
Soler claimed fourth overall after a superb day's racing as he worked hard for Ayuso. Brandon McNulty came in fifth to give UAE three of the top five in the final standings. - AFP