O Gran Camiño in Pontevedra: The Lookout for Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma-Lease a Bike
Once again, the anticipation built as I eagerly awaited the cyclists of Galicia’s four-day stage race, O Gran Camiño, to roll through my hometown of Pontevedra, just as they did last year. This time, it was Stage 4, the final leg of the race, and they were slated to pass through at KM 66—a mere kilometer away from our doorstep. With a sense of excitement, I set out on foot, sans bicycle, estimating their arrival between 12:25 and 12:40.
As I traversed the streets, fierce rain and howling winds greeted me. My umbrella strained at every squall, even separating from one of its arms. This might have been Pontevedra’s stormiest day of 2024 so far.
Upon reaching my chosen vantage point, I found myself among a group of a dozen spectators, joined by a vigilant police officer preparing traffic barriers and tape. Within minutes, our numbers swelled to about 20, everyone eager to catch a glimpse of the passing cyclists.
The air crackled with anticipation as motorcycles and police vehicles zoomed past, signaling the imminent arrival of the cyclists. First to break through was a breakaway group of seven riders, led by Neilson Powless of the United States, riding a Cannondale SuperSix EVO all-around race bike. Minutes later, the main peloton appeared, spearheaded by Team Visma-Lease A Bike cyclists riding Cervélo S5 aero frames. Our hearty cheers of “¡Bravo!” and “¡Ánimo!” filled the air as they thundered past, the excitement palpable.
Later, as I meticulously reviewed the footage I had captured, my focus shifted to identifying each rider, particularly the reigning Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard, and his teammates of Team Visma-Lease a Bike, arguably the World Tour’s strongest cycling team. The task proved more challenging than anticipated, as I scrutinized every detail to make a definitive identification in the video I took below.
The first rider, bearing the number 5 on his seat post, was easily identified as Menno Huising. Next came a rider in distinctive yellow sleeves, who I initially mistook for Vingegaard.
However, upon closer examination, the number attached to his seat post appeared to be a 7. That indicated that the second cyclist was Johannes Staune-Mittet.
The third rider, pedaling a Cervélo marked with the number 2, was Ben Tulett, while the fourth rider, whose bike sported a number 4, was none other than Wilco Kelderman.
My focus shifted to the fifth rider, whose identity proved elusive. Although I couldn’t distinguish his number, his stature resembled that of Vingegaard. It seemed likely that he would be tucked in behind his teammates in the initial part of the stage, even though he led the entire peloton last year in Pontevedra. However, there was still a possibility that the cyclist could be Tijmen Graat, who was assigned number 6. (Vingegaard, naturally, held race number 1.)
This cyclist donned a black jacket, full-fingered gloves, and leg warmers—items that Vingegaard was not wearing upon crossing the finish line. However, stripping off the jacket and gloves mid-race without stopping is relatively straightforward, whereas removing leg warmers is more challenging but still doable. Vingegaard wore leg warmers at the finish of Stages 1 and 2 but opted not to at the end of Stages 3 and 4.
There was a sixth Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider more within the pack, whom I’m guessing was Tijmen Graat. At 3:05 in the video, you can clearly see Cian Uijtdebroeks (racer number 3), accounting for all seven TVL cyclists in the race. He must have had a mechanical issue, since he was 1:35 behind his teammates at that point. He was also riding a lightweight Cervélo R5 instead of the S5, indicating that it might have been a replacement bike. But per the results, he still finished the stage in sixth place and the General Classification (GC) in fifth. Major kudos to him.
Despite the uncertainties surrounding the identification of the riders, one indisputable fact emerged from the chaos—the unwavering dominance of Jonas Vingegaard in O Gran Camiño. Battling adverse weather conditions that resulted in a shortened stage, Vingegaard once again showcased his prowess as he crossed the finish line victorious. The stage, originally spanning 158 kilometers, was truncated to 132 kilometers due to the inclement weather, eliminating the first 565m-high, 6.58km ascent up Monte Aloia averaging 8% west of Tui.
This victory marked another milestone in Vingegaard’s impressive track record, as he extended his winning streak to include every O Gran Camiño stage that counted towards the GC, amounting to six consecutive victories dating back to the beginning of last year’s competition. He has never lost! Adverse weather conditions also played a role in last year’s event, with Stage 1 being halted due to snowfall in Lugo. Similarly, this year’s Stage 1 Time Trial in A Coruña did not contribute to the GC standings due to gale force winds, necessitating the use of standard bikes instead of time trial bikes.
Despite facing intensified competition this year, including formidable opponents such as Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Josh Tarling, Carlos Rodriguez, Neilson Powless, and David Gaudu, Vingegaard’s dominance remained unchallenged. His ability to consistently outperform his rivals underscores his unparalleled skill and determination on the cycling circuit.
The absence of TV footage for all but the final minutes of the race due to weather-related complications underscored the significance of being present at the event in person. Reflecting on the experience, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the opportunity to witness the race firsthand. The thrill of being in such close proximity to cycling greatness was an experience to cherish.
I look forward to the fourth edition of O Gran Camiño next year—perhaps with a stronger umbrella.
Route
Official routesheet for the original non-truncated stage (PDF, 5.6 MB)
The truncated route is shown in Tijmen Graat’s Strava data, below.
There are 3 comments.
Nice!
I was thinking while watching the video that the weather was no joke, and how bad would it be for someone to bite it on that turn. Then, at the end, the Shimano support vehicle almost took you all out!
Those riders go by so fast, it’s really a blink and you’ll miss it event.
It was really stormy conditions with no pause in the rain all day. Good thing they use disc brakes now! You could see all the "road furniture" presented by roundabouts in the video. That is Europe for you, sometimes every 400 meters.
I just noticed that the blue Shimano support vehicle took out the police tape. 😅