I would like to tell you my story about how my Vuelta a Espana stage win came about. First, I need to explain to you all the factors that played a role in that special moment.
During the second part of the season, I was very homesick. After winning the Tour of Austria, we celebrated the birth of my son. But then I had to leave for Vuelta a Burgos while he and my girlfriend were still in the hospital. That was very hard but that’s the life of a bike rider.
I believe his birth helped me win a stage at the Vuelta because there are a number of things that changed since he was born.
Usually, when you’re in a Grand Tour and you’re not doing so well, you always call home and your wife or girlfriend has to listen to your complaints. Our girls have to encourage us and get us back in line.
But I knew things were different this time. My girlfriend had her hands full at home with our new son, I knew I couldn’t complain about my riding. I had to stay positive and encourage her. She wasn’t having any sleep so during these three weeks, I had to give her energy.
Looking back now, this kept me focussed during the Vuelta. It kept me in the right frame of mind and it’s exactly what I needed during the race.
With a new child, you take a step back and you look at life differently. Things that would stress you out in the race usually is a little more relaxed now because you have more perspective on life. I also wanted to give my son something for being away from home five weeks after he was born. He doesn’t appreciate it now but when he gets older it is something that we will cherish together. We’ll have that Vuelta stage win together forever.
Photo: Luis Angel Gomez
Since my knee injury two years ago, I’ve been a different rider. I’ve managed to get into breakaways and into promising positions in races but then I’d miss something in the final. I would be pushing really good watts for the first ¾ of the stage but lack something in the finish. It was really hard to accept this because I knew before the knee injury I was capable of something special and now I was struggling to get back to my normal level.
This year, I was determined and my goal was to fight back to my top level. Before Tour of Austria, things started turning around for me and I was feeling really good again.
Now back to the Vuelta. I had done this race once before and I knew the weather played a big role. The first two weeks in the south would be hot but in the back of my mind, I was focussed on the last week when the race went to the north. I knew the weather would be cooler then and that would be better for me.
Normally in a Grand Tour, if everything goes right, I get better week by week. Last year in the Giro, I was one of the strongest riders in the climbs during the last week and the same happened in the Vuelta this year. For the first two weeks, I was really focussed on not crashing. There was one stage when I looked around and saw more than half the guys around me had bandages on. It costs more energy when you race defensively, breaking more than the next rider but I decided that it would mean less chance of crashing and being conservative will bring me fresh to the third week.
The team’s basic plan in the Vuelta was to get into every breakaway and the goal was to win a stage. It was a big goal for us. When I got into the breakaway on stage 17, it looked like a normal day. Astana and Bora chasing and we thought we would get caught and one of the GC guys will win the stage.
Somehow this day, I didn’t just have good legs but I had a fresh mind. I wasn’t stressed that they were chasing us. My plan was to be the last rider caught from the break, that’s it.
Then when we came to the last two climbs, the time gap kept coming down but I still had amazing legs. I saw the power I was doing on the climbs and it gave me the confidence to know even if Froome or Contador were chasing, they would have to do even more to catch me. I was giving them a hard time.
Photo: Luis Angel Gomez
On the last climb, the radio stopped working. I had no communication with the team car and wasn’t getting time gaps from the motorbike. It was probably better because I could just do the climb at my rhythm.
The only indication I had was when you took a corner and you heard the crowds cheering down below. That’s when I knew someone Spanish was coming. Around 1.5km to go, the road flattened out. I turned around and saw Contador. I told myself, ‘Stefan, not again, you are going to make it this time.’ This was the first part of the stage where I told myself today is the day and I am going to do it.
The best part was just before the finish line when I knew I had it and I could put my hands in the air. Those three or four seconds before you cross the line are just for you. I can’t describe the feeling.
Last modified: Jan 20, 2020
