Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) took a decisive step toward winning O Gran Camiño on Friday, soloing to victory on the queen stage of the fifth edition at the summit of Cabeza de Meda.
The British rider, the standout figure in this Galician race, confirmed his status as the overwhelming favorite with authority. He covered the 145.7 kilometers from Xinzo de Limia in 3 hours, 37 minutes, and 18 seconds, crossing the line alone to seize the overall lead.
“It was a tough stage with many climbs and some technical roads. In the end, it was a difficult day, especially this final climb, which was very steep and had uneven roads, adding to the difficulty. The guys did a great job controlling the race at all times, and I’m happy to have finished it off,” Yates summarized.
To secure his 33rd career victory, the Briton attacked four kilometers from the finish, leaving Norwegian Jorgen Nordhagen (Visma-Lease a Bike) 46 seconds behind. Nordhagen held onto second place overall, 34 seconds adrift.
Former race leader Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) finished third on the stage, 1 minute and 4 seconds back, and now sits third overall, 54 seconds behind Yates.
The stage featured three categorized climbs, two of them first-category. The breakaway took time to form, with Tomás Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé) attempting to join but being ejected for aggression — the then mountains classification leader became frustrated and reacted poorly.
After more than 50 kilometers, Lucas Lopes (Efapel), Noah Campos (Tavira-Crédito Agrícola), and Diogo Pinto (Credibom-LA Alumínios-MarcosCar) eventually got clear alongside Spaniards Martín Rey (Burgos Burpellet BH), Xabier Isasa (Euskatel-Euskadi), and Andoni López de Abetxuko (Anicolor-Campicarn).
They were later joined by Portuguese riders José Bicho (Tavira-Crédito Agrícola) and Rúben Rodrigues (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista), as well as Spaniard Samuel Fernández, who made the first major attack on the initial ascent of Cabeza de Meda (first category).
The Caja Rural rider gained more than 40 seconds over the rest of the breakaway, including Lopes (best young rider of last year’s Volta a Portugal) and Rey, while the peloton — controlled by NSN and UAE Emirates — was over three and a half minutes back.
Lopes and the Burgos Burpellet BH rider were caught on the second-category Alto de Rodicio climb, just as George Bennett (NSN) launched a devastating attack on the favorites’ group.
The New Zealand champion was only followed by Anton Schiffer (Visma-Lease a Bike). The duo escaped about 13 kilometers from the finish and built a lead of around 30 seconds over the pursuing group, led by UAE Emirates and including Nelson Oliveira.
“I knew it would be tough to stay with the favorites at the front. There are excellent climbers here. I tried, I gave it everything — that’s what matters,” said the Portuguese Movistar rider.
On the final ascent to Cabeza de Meda, this time from the opposite side featuring walls with gradients up to 21%, the two leaders were caught after a series of attacks among the favorites, leaving Adam Yates out front alone.
The 2023 Tour de France third-place finisher, who will serve as João Almeida’s domestique at the Giro d’Italia, was chased by Nordhagen but Pinarello — tied with the Norwegian on time in the general classification — could not respond.
As the finish line neared, the UAE Emirates rider increased his margin over the young Visma rider, who will face a difficult task in the final stage to recover the deficit on Yates over the 154.7 kilometers between Neves and Monte Trega (also known as Monte de Santa Tecla).
