Jonas Vingegaard wins stage 16 to close in on Vuelta a Espana lead

Jumbo-Visma team were reeling after news that their rider Nathan van Hooydonck was in hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car accident

ESPAÑA-VUELTA (AP)

Jonas Vingegaard is closing in on the red jersey after securing victory in stage 16 of the Vuelta a Espana.

Following on from Monday’s rest day, Denmark’s Vingegaard nade a successful late move in Tuesday’s stage from Liencres Playa to an uphill finish in Bejes.

Jumbo-Visma’s Vingegaard suddenly pulled away from the pack in the final 4km of the course.

He secured his second stage win of the competition in 2:38:23, with Finn Fisher-Black finishing 43 seconds behind him and Wout Poels third.

Vingegaard’s victory sees him edge closer to catching up with team-mate and red jersey leader Sepp Kuss, with the Tour de France champion now 29 seconds behind Kuss in the general classification.

Primoz Roglic attacked on the final kilometre of the race, pushing him up to third in the general classification and subsequently extended Jumbo-Visma’s dominance in the top three.

Stage 17 on Wednesday is a mountain stage and looks set set to prove a tough task, with riders competing from Ribadesella to Altu de l’Angliru.

The Jumbo-Visma team were reeling earlier on Tuesday after the news that their rider Nathan van Hooydonck was in hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries in a car accident at home in Belgium after falling ill at the wheel.

Agencies