This Saturday, the first of two mountain top finished in this Andalusian weekend brought the riders in the Tour of Spain to the ramps of the Sierra de La Pandera, where the GC contenders fought man against man.
South-African climber Louis Meintjes, the fifteenth of the provisional classification at the start of this fourteenth stage, confirmed once more that he is one of the contenders for a top ten in Madrid with a solid performance on the final climb (9km at 7.5%).
Thanks to his twelfth place at the finish, Meintjes is now fourteenth in the general classification. His teammate Rein Taaramäe also continues his good performances with a 22nd place in the stage and 25th in the provisional classification, just like Jan Bakelants (21st) and Domenico Pozzovivo (29th).
« I'm very happy with my level in this Vuelta, I'm even convinced that I never climbed that well before. I did everything I could to join the breakaway, hoping to repeat my third place on the Colláu Fancuaya. I attacked countless times the past week, but most of the stages have a flat start which means that you also need to be lucky to become a part of it. These attacks in the beginning of the stage cost me quite some energy, nevertheless I stayed as long as possible alongside Louis Meintjes to protect him or to offer him anything he needs. We are fifth in the team classification after two weeks of racing, that's why I'm very motivated to finish as good as possible in each stage. Four riders of the team are in the top 30 of the general classification, but also our fifth man Julius Johansen needs a special mention. His devotion and teamspirit contribute largely to the performances of the climbers. »
