Jasper Stuyven’s star sparkles in Vuelta

Coming in ninth in the green jersey points classification, 22-year-old cyclist Jasper Stuyven (pictured) was a rare flash of Belgian flair in the Vuelta a España, the Tour of Spain, which ended in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday.

On his first-ever grand tour, the former UCI Junior Road Race World Champion from Leuven easily out-performed more seasoned riders with three top-four places. “This is more than I dared to think in advance,” he said. “My first year as a pro was good, but reaching the very top is not easy.”

For star riders Jurgen Van den Broeck and Tom Boonen, the Vuelta was a tour to forget as the classics specialists both dropped out. Van de Broeck crashed in the Tour de France last year, severely damaging his right knee and did not return to training until October. Boonen dropped out of the Vuelta three days before the end to prepare for the world championships in Ponferrada, Spain, next week; but he was already lagging in the second half of the field.

Overall, Maxime Montfort, in 16th place, Bart de Clercq in 34th and Philippe Gilbert in 45th were the top Belgians.