Success in cycling often comes down to strong support for a roster of teammates. In key moments though, the solo effort of a determined rider characterized the 2014 Vuelta a España. Team tactics were limited over the three weeks of the race, and success — or failure — came down to the individual.
Alberto Contador claimed his sixth Grand Tour victory — the third one in his home country — by making his own moves and taking chances without the safety net of teammates to help him along. The escape on the slopes leading to Aramón Valdelinares proved to be the day that “Pistolero” shot past his general classification rivals.
Contador’s efforts in recovering from a fractured leg from a Tour de France crash were perhaps less miraculous than fans were first allowed to believe. The Spaniard was reportedly back on a bike just days after the injury, chasing a third victory in his home nation serving as his motivation.
Teams simply didn’t play much of a factor in the way the Vuelta played out. Tinkoff-Saxo was unable to offer a great deal of support to Contador, as was the relationship between other teams and their leaders. In some cases, this could be chalked up to a lack of clarity over who was to lead each roster.
However, teams were not totally absent from the race. Instead, they served only as minor players in the overall story. John Degenkolb was spectacular in the sprints, but often without much of a lead out. Canadian Ryder Hesjedal’s stage victory came through the power of his own legs — team support long forgotten when the Victoria-based rider dropped down the rankings during the first week of racing.
Meanwhile, Chris Froome was largely unable to present any real threat to Contador as was hoped and expected by many. Froome was also recovering from injuries suffered at the Tour de France — a broken wrist and a broken hand — but never really seemed truly confident in his own abilities to chase down the Tinkoff rider.
Froome’s Team Sky compatriots tried at times to impact the race in a favourable way for their leader, but they’re a long way from the dominant form they showed at the 2012 Tour de France, where Froome finished second to teammate Bradley Wiggins, and the 2013 edition where Froome won overall.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to Contador was Colombian Nairo Quintana of Movistar. The Spanish team was another whose leadership was in question. Once the route entered the mountain stages, it was clear Quintana was the strongest rider of the team, taking the red leader’s jersey. Yet, as quickly as he’d achieved the success, it was lost after back-to-back crashes that put the young Colombian down, and then out.
Teams represent a compelling element to cycling. Working together, nine riders can do so much more than just individuals. The tactics employed in battling other teams ensures exciting racing. The all-for-one approach that sorts individuals into either leaders or the much more common domestique showcases the dedication — or subjugation — that gives professional cycling much of its character.
But as a stage finish draws closer, the sport competition shifts. The best of each team take over the spotlight rolling against each other towards the end of the race. Likewise, the battle shifts away from combat between riders to a struggle against oneself.
Effort resolves into pain, characterized by searing muscles and aching lungs. Pain distills into misery as the kilometres remaining measure not in distance but in percussions of a thumping heartbeat. Misery gives way to a final hollow spasm at the finish line leaving a sensation of a body collapsing on itself from supreme effort.
All of which transforms — for those whose suffering yields the best performance — into the ecstasy of victory.