Van Aert claims shortened Vuelta stage 15 win in high heat
CORDOBA: Wout van Aert won a sprint from a small breakaway group to claim stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, which was shortened because of extreme heat conditions in the south of Spain.
Cordoba, Spain witnessed a sprint victory by Wout van Aert in stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, as extreme heat conditions forced a shortened route. The race, originally planned for 189.7 kilometers, was reduced to 110.2 kilometers, cutting around 80 kilometers from the Palma del Rio to Cordoba route. General classification leader Enric Mas maintained a 2-minute 6-second lead over Felix Gall, with Primoz Roglic trailing by four seconds.
Belgium's Van Aert secured his second stage win of the race, powering past Alessandro Romele and Thibaut Nys at the finish line. Visma-Lease a Bike's Matthew Brennan expressed his concern over the high temperatures, with the average reaching 41 degrees Celsius during the climb. The organizers' decision to shorten the stage has raised doubts about the safety of the remaining riders, with Brennan fearing potential heatstroke cases.
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