The later a Grand Tour gets, the more it becomes a battle of wits and schemes. This isn't just because race organizers love to stack the difficult high-mountain climbs in the third week; the riders' own fatigue also accumulates daily.
So, when everyone's legs start to give out, small, impromptu tactics can often play a crucial role and decide the race's outcome.
Of course, given the way the Vuelta a España stages are designed, the riders are already exhausted after the first week.
After all, neither the Giro d'Italia nor the Tour de France would schedule four full mountain stages in the first week.
The Vuelta a España is just pure torture for the riders—utterly brutal!
"The riders taking turns at the front of the peloton have been keeping the time gap to the breakaway group under three minutes.
The peloton is now about 132 kilometers into the stage, having completed most of today's descents.
They are only about 27 kilometers from the finish line—
