Bradley Wiggins surprised many when he welcomed advice yesterday morning on Twitter, asking his followers whether they felt he should gamble everything to try to win or instead consolidate his third place overall in the race. It was a surprising moment, given that the Briton had been so fired up to win the Vuelta, and it hinted at what was perhaps a lack of confidence in how he was feeling.
As things turned out, he did indeed show signs of fatigue on the stage. Wiggins and Sky Procycling team-mate Chris Froome were both expected to challenge race leader Juan Jose Cobo, who seized the red leader’s jersey from the former on Sunday’s race to the top of the Angliru, but it was only Froome who went head to head.
While his team-mate was slugging it out with Cobo, ultimately taking the stage and reducing his deficit to 13 seconds, Wiggins was struggling to maintain pace. He ended up placing only 12th, losing a further 39 seconds in stage time and twelve seconds in bonuses. He said afterwards that he was also struggling mentally.
“I just went at my own pace. I felt pretty empty today. Since I lost the jersey, I feel a little bit of deflation,” he admitted. “I came into this race very fresh mentally but it’s not exactly the same anymore. I’ve had a great middle week of the Vuelta and I’ve built myself mentally that I could win this race.
“I had hoped that I was the strongest. Even before the final climb today, I struggled mentally. Fortunately, I managed to stay focused to keep my third place and that’s positive.”
Wiggins ended the day one minute 41 seconds back in the general classification, making it all but impossible for him now to win the Vuelta. He confirmed that the team now sees the younger Briton as being the big chance. “Chris is riding better and better. He’s starting to realise what he can do as a rider, really,” he said. “I think now that he can win the Vuelta. There’s only one rider against him. It’s a pity that there isn’t another finish like this one. The rest of the course makes it slightly possible that he wins the race overall.”