Vuelta a Espana 2021 – Daylight robbery: Clement Champoussin steals victory in massive Stage 20 shock

Where on earth did he come from? That must have been the thought that popped into Adam Yates’ mind as, with 1.6km to go, Clement Champoussin (AG2R Citroen) darted past to steal the stage from several of the biggest name riders in the sport.

It ought not to have come as such a surprise. The 23 year-old Frenchman’s palmares might not have been adorned with any big victories before today, but he finished third from the breakaway on Stage 10 of this race, and fifth when the race finished in Pico Villuercas a week ago.

Perhaps it came down to a stroke of luck, or inattention from others. Once the big name red jersey train caught the all-day break that he had been in, and then fell into the second part of, its locomotives appeared to decide the day’s work was done. They only had eyes for each other, content for the group’s lesser names to hitch a ride to the finish. In retrospect - because let us not pretend that we were watching him particularly closely either - that will have been perfectly fine by Champoussin.

Champoussin crossed the line six seconds ahead of Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) in a thrilling finale with Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) settling for third, while it emerged during the finale that Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar) abandoned the race with just 20km remaining after seeing his podium hopes vanish. Sunday’s race-concluding time trial is unlikely to throw up the same drama unless the Slovenian leader has a major mechanical or crash.

Stage 20 began in the popular Galician tourist resort of Sanxenxo, but as late in the Vuelta as we were, it was never going to be a day at the beach. There were too many riders and teams with nothing to show for their three weeks of effort, and too much still to play for.

That, and the course’s lumpy profile, was why it had been billed as a mini Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Thankfully, the starts and finishes held a touch more aesthetic appeal than those of La Doyenne. The pre-race comparison was not completely off the mark, however, as from the flag to the finish every rider rode like there was no tomorrow.

Attacks fired furiously from the flag. One failed, then four, then fourteen went away and were pulled back. A few more tried to some success but not quite enough. Eventually, an hour and 42km into the stage we had a break of sixteen that the peloton was content with. The break itself, had strength in depth, as well as the top two in the mountains classification, Michael Storer and Romain Bardet (DSM) was similarly satisfied. They all took their turn, revolved, pushed on. By the end of the second hour their lead over the peloton was ten minutes.

Then Ineos started to ride.

Although polka dot jersey incumbent Storer had been able to easily pick off top mountains points on the first and second classified climbs to decide that competition, by the time he took the maximum on the third the idea that the win was destined for the break no longer seemed so certain. The lead was cut in half by Egan Bernal’s Ineos domestiques, who rode themselves ragged. The breakaway must have heard what was coming as what had been a cooperative quickly fell apart.

Bernal would not be the primary beneficiary of his team-mates efforts. Although the Colombian inevitably launched the first attack from the reduced peloton, with 57km left of the race and the front of the race not far off, he fell victim to Adam Yates counterpunch who dropped off, along with Movistar’s Miguel Angel Lopez.

The Briton was only after the stage win, or so he would later say. He formed a group of four, with Roglic, Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) and Enric Mas (Movistar), that would first swallow up the remnants of the early break and then head for the finish. With the kilometres rapidly falling Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates) was the only rider left out front, and by the final climb, his day was surely numbered too.

Gibbons did not have the legs to counter after he himself was caught but Euskaltel’s Mikel Bizkarra, who had been able to hang on, managed a couple of valiant failures before, at 1.5km left, with the favourites watching each other, Champoussin fired his single, decisive blow.

The quartet were thrust into panic mode, but with no one willing to lead the chase and harm their own chances, Champoussin crossed the line six seconds ahead of Roglic in a thrilling end to Grand Tour road racing in 2021. The Slovenian's jersey wasn't put under pressure for a moment, though we saw no sign he could not withstand any that came his way. The same could not be said for Miguel Angel Lopez, who crumbled the moment things did not go his way. Brian Smith said the Colombian "spat the dummy like a spoiled child" after missing the move that saw him dropped from the red jersey group, dropping from the podium and then abandoning the race completely.

The same certainly could not be said for Champoussin. He had not earlier been one of the break’s late animators, the likes of Bardet and Mark Padun (Bahrain Victorious), both of whom put in late desperate digs, but he did not give up, either. Perhaps that too was to his advantage, in that it meant by biding his time he had at least one last match left to burn.

Yes, perhaps it did come down to luck. But as the Roman philosopher Seneca (supposedly) said, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Champoussin was well prepared and took full advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself.

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