2021 Vuelta a España Stage 14 Results & Recap
Stage 14 of the 2021 Vuelta a España is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Bardet win stage 14
Romain Bardet (Team DSM) took top honors today on stage 14 of the Vuelta a Espana after an attack out of the breakaway on the Pico Villuercas, a category 1 ascent that was a first for the Vuelta organization.
“Honestly, I really took step by step," Bardet said. "In the end, no one really wanted to commit to the chase in the breakaway so I had a really hard time to catch [Nicolas Prodhomme]. But I think we really played it smart with Matt [Winston], my sports director. He told me exactly when to attack, on the steepest part. I went as if the finish was 200m away. I gave it a good go, I opened a good gap and I just committed to the finish. The legs were ok I think. Everyone is a bit tired I think, but at the moment, the spirit is great in the team. We have three stage wins, multiple podiums with Alberto [Dainese]. I’m so happy to be part of such a group. We try to do our best every day and this stage win is an amazing one. It’s been a long wait [since my last Grand Tour victory, in 2017]. I didn’t think about it today, I just focused on giving it my all. It went well from the start. I knew that I would have the polka-dot jersey even if I didn’t win.”
Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux) had a fantastic ride to stay in the red jersey, despite moves from GC contenders like Miguel Ángel López (Movistar Team). Eiking leads by 54 seconds over Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and 1:36 over Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma).
“It was a more hectic finale than I thought it would be," Eiking said. "I knew about the roundabouts but I didn't know it would be that decisive. I'm happy I didn't lose too much time. Luckily I had perfect teammates. They did an amazing job towards the end so I just had to follow. There was a small split but without damage for me. I want to try and keep the red jersey tomorrow but it depends mostly on Roglic. If he decides to stand up and go for it, it's gonna be difficult but if I'm lucky and if I have the legs I can keep fighting for the jersey.”
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