The UAE Team Emirates has nothing to regret after the individual time trial of the Vuelta a España. Juan Ayuso himself expected a slightly better performance, but Marc Soler and João Almeida had no reason to complain afterward.
Let’s not forget that Marc Soler is still in second place in the general classification. The Spaniard is having a very strong Vuelta and hasn’t had a bad day yet, in addition to delivering an excellent time trial on Tuesday.
Soler, 29 years old, finished 8th in Valladolid, just 1 minute and 12 seconds behind the stage winner Filippo Ganna and 56 seconds behind Evenepoel. “Actually, I expected to get the red jersey, and I gave it my all,” he told the Spanish website Ciclo21 moments after completing the course. “It was probably the best time trial of my life. I was very motivated, and I had to make the most of it.”
Soler remains in second place in the general classification. Is the Spanish climber really thinking about a good final result in Madrid? “I don’t know yet. I know there’s still a lot to come in this Vuelta, and we haven’t reached the end. We’ll see. I’m very happy with my time trial for now, and we’ll keep going,” concludes Soler.