Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) cruised through Sunday’s procession into Madrid to confirm his maiden Grand Tour title at La Vuelta, with UAE Team Emirates lead-out man Juan Sebastian Molano unusually winning the bunch sprint on Stage 21.
The Belgian was all but guaranteed to keep the red jersey after surviving the final mountains test on Saturday’s penultimate stage, with the 22-year-old enjoying some celebratory photos with his Quick-Step team-mates on the slow run to the Spanish capital.
In a messy bunch sprint, UAE looked strong with Molano and Pascal Ackermann battling with the green jersey of Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) – although the eventual winner was not the one the team would have expected.
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It was an extra special day for UAE as Juan Ayuso grabbed third place on the overall podium behind Evenepoel and Enric Mas (Movistar) to become the first teenager since 1908 to finish on a podium at a Grand Tour.
The first half of the 96km stage, which started in Las Rozas, on the outskirts of Madrid, was ridden, rather than raced, at a celebratory pace. As the peloton rolled gently towards the city centre, Evenepoel and his Quick-Step team-mates indulged in the usual photocalls at the back of the bunch.
Only after Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), making his last of 16 appearances in his home Grand Tour, had been able to enjoy a solo lap of honour did the racing proper get underway.
Once Valverde had been returned to the bunch, it was two strong time trialists, Julius Johansen (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) and Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) who decided to try and upset the odds.

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For the better part of 50km, the pair worked together impeccably, as if they had been team-mates for years rather than been brought together by the circumstances. They rotated in a timely fashion, sticking like glue to each other’s wheels.
“Was there a moment when you thought you might make it?” Plapp was asked afterwards. “Absolutely not,” he replied. “We were just soaking it up, chasing the motorbikes and the cars.”
Despite never holding more than 30 seconds of advantage, the pair stayed out on their own far longer than anyone expected, and made it much harder for the chasing peloton than the main teams, such as Trek-Segafredo and Alpecin-Fenix, would have preferred.
While Plapp and Johansen lost time on the long straights, they maintained and even gained on the tight hairpins.
They fought for as long as they could and were still dangling with 3km remaining. It was only inside the final kilometre that they were finally swept up and the sprinters teams free to take control of the race.
UAE Team Emirates, winner of the team prize, was the squad with the firmest grip on the finale. They charged down the home straight, ostensibly for Ackermann, winner of two stages of the same race two years ago.
Ackermann lacked the legs to come past his own team-mate, however. Molano, with Pedersen bearing down on him on his left, continued the sprint he had started 300m from the line and was able to hold on for the first WorldTour victory of his career.
Molano's unlikely win signed off a memorable three-week race, while Evenepoel soon followed across the finish line to complete his mission.

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“It really sinks in now. It’s official," Evenepoel said afterwards. "Yesterday the emotions were quite high, because we could feel we were there, but to finish the race here safe, in a good way, we enjoyed it as much as possible, and now we can really enjoy it."
The final stage was not without its moments of discomfort, he added. “It was a technical course and it was getting more nervous every lap. I’m happy we survived it. I think we can be really proud of what we’ve achieved over the last three weeks."
Evenepoel will soon turn his attention to the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, where he is expected to compete in the elite men’s time trial (Sep 18) and road race (Sep 25).

STAGE 21 TOP 5

1. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) 2'26'36
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) ''
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) ''
4. Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) ''
5. Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) ''
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Stream La Vuelta live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.
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