After the doubts sown on the opening day due to a lack of tactical effectiveness and poor coordination with UAE Team Emirates in chasing the breakaway, Movistar regained its dominance and confidence in the second stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, won by Colombian Nairo Quintana.
The Telefónica-backed team, which needed to erase the image of ineffectiveness shown on the way to Benia de Onís, found in Nairo its ideal weapon to attack the Asturian mountains with authority. On a 140-kilometer route between Llanes and Pola de Lena, the Navarrese team changed the script: from suffering attacks from second-tier teams to dictating the pace of the race.
In the final mountain climb, teamwork and the subsequent execution of a legend like the Colombian allowed Nairo Quintana to rediscover victory on a stage where he had already triumphed in 2021, restoring the team’s expected standing in these races.
The strategy of Héctor Carretero’s riders was, this time, much clearer. After a first half of the stage of absolute control, where they neutralized breakaway attempts such as Danny van der Tuuk’s, the Navarrese team waited for their moment on the Alto de la Colladiella.
It was there that Quintana, with a cadence reminiscent of his best years, broke the harmony of the peloton. Unlike the previous day, when the Movistar team was overwhelmed by individual attacks, this time Movistar managed to place their best riders at the front, also counting on the crucial presence of Diego Pescador in the quintet that contested the stage win.
At 21 years old and in his second season wearing the M jersey, the young Colombian was a crucial piece in his leader Nairo Quintana’s objectives in this second stage. Pescador managed to hold off Samuel Fernández and Txomin Juaristi, preventing them from reaching the front of the race.
A generational duel resolved by experience
The stage’s outcome was forged in an intense head-to-head battle between the veteran Quintana and the youthful exuberance of Adrià Pericas, representing UAE Team Emirates. Both riders distanced themselves from the leading group of five on the slopes of Cueña.
The collaboration between the Colombian and the Catalan was complete until the foothills of the Alto de Carabanzo, a wall of just over 2 kilometers with gradients exceeding 9%. At that critical point, Nairo Quintana summoned his pride and determination to launch a decisive attack that Pericas, despite his great display of grit, could not answer.
The Colombian crested the summit alone and painted a flawless descent towards Pola de Lena, securing not only the stage win, but also the virtual lead of the Asturian tour.
Movistar Team – Vuelta Asturias 2ª etapa
| 1 | QUINTANA Nairo | Colombia | 03:22:42 |
| 3 | PESCADOR Diego | Colombia | + 01:21 |
| 20 | CASTRO Sebastián | Costa Rica | + 07:47 |
| 36 | SANCHEZ Pelayo | España | + 13:12 |
| 38 | ARANAZ Markel | España | + 13:12 |
| 77 | PARETA Roger | España | + 19:00 |