La Vuelta a España has returned to normalcy after the protests yesterday in Bilbao that caused the race to be stopped. In the much less populated village of Los Corrales de Buelna, in Cantabria, north of Spain, there were many supporters with Palestinian flags at the finish line, but they didn't cause any incidents, and instead the focus was on the duel between Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates, still) and Javier Romo (Movistar), that ended with the victory of Ayuso, second stage victory so far in the race.
Both Spaniards managed to break away from the peloton, but with Brieuc Rolland getting closer, the riders helped each other to maintain their distance with the Frenchman and the rest of the pack, which ended up being 15 seconds. But in the end only one could win. In the final sprint, Ayuso, who was benefitting from Romo's drafting at the moment they reached the final meters, sprinted and clearly overpowered Romo, who was seen hitting his handlebar in frustration.
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Romo was still visible upset when he talked to journalists after the race, even apologising for the gesture. "I have to apologise for hitting the handlebar but sometimes it's frustrating, the other day third, today second, but Juan has been stronger, maybe a little bit smarter, and took the win" (via RTVE).
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Asked about his collaboration with Ayuso, he said that he feels "I have been much more generous than him, at the end he almost didn't want me to take over, but in the end everyone manages the race as they choose. I'm proud of myself, I raced to win, he won me at the finish line, and we will keep trying", also praising his team's work.
Ayuso, in his interview, congratulated Romo, admitting that he "had to play his cards", regretting putting him under pressure, and that he was asked by the team to do that. "I don't normally like to play like this, but that's what they told me from the car and sometimes you have to play smart".