Racing
Magnus Cort wins stage 6 of La Vuelta
The Dane takes victory atop the Alto de la Montaña de Cullera
August 19, 2021
"I looked back with 150 meters to go and I could see him coming. I sprinted with everything I had, and luckily could keep him behind me.”
Despite Primoz Roglic’s best efforts, our very own Magnus Cort was victorious in La Vuelta’s most exciting stage yet. Today, atop the famed and feared Alto de la Montaña de Cullera, our Dane proved that his talent and grit goes even deeper than we thought.
“Only one rider in the peloton could have pulled off what Magnus Cort just did. And that’s Magnus Cort,” said Team CEO Jonathan Vaughters.
Vaughters knows that Cort is one of the most underrated riders in the professional peloton. Perhaps you recognize the sprinter who has earned some impressive stage wins throughout his career. The 28-year-old pro has accolades that include a win at the Tour de France in 2018 and two Vuelta a España victories in 2016. With our team, he took two stages in 2020 and won a stage at this year’s Route d’Occitanie, after pulling off a successful attack in the final kilometer.
It’s fair if you thought that Cort was a skilled sprinter — and that was his only speciality. But today, he proved just how versatile he is and how well he works under pressure.
"This one is special for me in a very different way. The stages I win are always in sprints and I'm very happy to show I can also do it in other terrains and finish off a breakaway like this today,” said Cort.
The route for stage six was 158.3-kilometers long with a rolling start followed by a stretch of flat roads. Magnus spent the day in a strong breakaway battling the winds and for most of the race, it looked like someone in the break was bound to win it. But in the closing 100-kilometers, the peloton turned on another gear and quickly started to eat into the gap. With the final climb looming, it was anyone’s guess who was going to take the stage win.
The final climb – a category three climb of two kilometers – was a totally different test of will and strength. It offered a 9.4 percent gradient, and even though the group of GC favorites (including the likes of defending Vuelta champ Primoz Roglic) looked like they were about to come close, it was clear that no one was beating Magnus Cort today.
“He has an incredible ability to keep going flat out even when he’s incredibly fatigued,” said Vaughters.
Cheers to Magnus and team on this unforgettable victory. We can’t wait to see what else this year's Vuelta has in store for you.