Vuelta a Espana #7: Sbaragli in the mix for top 10

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka still chasing stage win

It was another punchy bunch sprint at today's 7th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Jonas Van Genechten (IAM Cycling) was the victor and Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Darwin Atapuma (BMC Racing) had no problem retaining his overall race leader’s jersey.

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka started today's stage with plans to have Kristian Sbaragli and Nathan Haas in contention during the stage finale. 6 riders formed the early break of the day but as the peloton only gave them a 2'30" lead, it was clear it would not be their day. Astana created an interesting situation though as they chased down the escape with still 50km to go.

The new race situation meant it would not be a straight forward sprint stage as fresh attacks put the peloton under pressure and this saw our ill Basque rider, Igor Anton being dropped from the main pack. A number of riders were distanced though as the race sped into to Puebla de Sanabria. After the selection had been made, our African Team still had Kristian Sbaragli, Nathan Haas, Jaco Venter and Merhawi Kudus in the mix.

A dangerous 5 rider move went away on the final categorised climb of the day, containing Simon Clarke (Cannondale - Drapac) and Lluis Leon Sanchez (Astana). Haas would contribute to the chase of the late breakaway attempt as Sbaragli was our go to man for the finish now. Clarke and Sanchez led under the 1km to go banner but the gap was only 6 seconds to the pack and the last few hundred meters dragged all the way up to the line.

Sbaragli once again put himself in a good position as the race went into a sharp left hand bend at 600m to go. There was another crash, like yesterday, but this time Sbaragli was ahead of the misfortune. The two leaders were caught just before the line and Van Genechten went on to prove he was the strongest on this type of finish. Sbaragli was right on the wheels of the front runners but had to settle for 8th at the line. Despite his illness, Anton completed today's stage to ensure our African Team still have all 9 riders in the race. 

JP Heynderickx - Sport Director
It was another missed chance today. It was a tricky finish and getting into a good position before the last 500m, which was all uphill, was really important. We got a top 10 but we wanted more from today.

Team Dimension Data For Qhubeka

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka was founded in 2007, steadily working its way up from a regional team to now being a World Tour team with bases in South Africa and Italy. It’s also known as Africa’s Team due to its focus on helping African talents to the world stage of cycling. The team races to raise funds for the Qhubeka Charity to mobilise people on bicycles in Africa. To contribute to the #BicyclesChangeLivescampaign, click here.

Qhubeka is an Nguni word that means “to progress”, “to move forward”. Qhubeka (qhubeka.org) is part of World Bicycle Relief (worldbicyclerelief.org), a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing education, health and economic opportunities by providing simple, sustainable transportation through the power of bicycles.  

Dimension Data (dimensiondata.com) uses the power of technology to help organisations achieve great things in the digital era. As a member of the NTT Group, we accelerate our clients’ ambitions through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, workspaces for tomorrow, and cybersecurity. With a turnover of USD 7.5 billion, offices in 58 countries, and 31,000 employees, we deliver wherever our clients are, at every stage of their technology journey. We’re proud to be the Official Technology Partner of Amaury Sport Organisation, organiser of the Tour de France, and the title partner of the cycling team, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka.

Learn more about the team at www.africasteam.com. 

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