The German cyclist Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the ninth stage of the Tour of Spain this Sunday, between Cartagena and Collado de la Cruz de Caravaca and joined the select group of riders who have managed to win at least one stage in the three Grand Tours; while the American Sepp Kuss (Jumbo) continues to lead the general classification in this 2023 edition.
Kamna prevailed alone at the top of the Collado ahead of the Italian Matteo Sobrero ((Jayco-AlUla), who entered 13 seconds behind the winner, and the Australian Chris Hamilton (DSM-Firmenich), who arrived 1:12 minutes behind the winner. German, although all three were part of the day’s break.
“I am super happy to have won stages in the three Grand Tours. I have worked very hard the last two months. It hasn’t always been easy after the Giro, I had a lot of setbacks, and I’m happy to be back on the podium and get this win,” Kamna told the media after crossing the finish line.
The Bora cyclist explained the initial movements with the fans and the maneuver that gave rise to the final escape of the day. “There were fans at the start and I tried to be as calm as possible, without spending a lot of energy, and after 50 kilometers, when the pass arrived, I had the strength to break away. The finish was complicated, because the pass was a constant up and down,” he said.
Kamna attacked with 4.5 km to go, in a winning bet that led him to glory. “It was difficult to find a place to make the distance. It was about managing the situation. I saw that I had a bit of margin coming out of a corner, and I decided to give it my all. I went over my limit for two minutes, and from there It has been a matter of fighting until the end”, he concluded.
The American Sepp Kuss (Jumbo) continues to lead the general classification, after a stage in which the weather forced them to freeze the times 2.05 kilometers from the finish line. The winner of the stage was part of a breakaway of eight riders who left the peloton 137 kilometers from the finish line, on the ramps of the first stop of the day.
The escapees came to have up to 8 minutes of advantage over a peloton that let them do it, allowing them to reach the demanding Collado de Caravaca de la Cruz ahead, where Lennard surprised his companions 4.5 km away to cross the finish line alone.
On Monday the first rest day will take place before the 25.8 km individual time trial on Tuesday in Valladolid, which according to many specialists will leave the classification more outlined for the Pyrenees.