There are a million ways in cycling to have your heart broken, and Etixx-QuickStep's Maxime Bouet found himself on the blunt end of one the most wrenching methods Thursday at the Vuelta a Espana.
After spending the day in a five-rider breakaway during stage 12, the 28-year-old Frenchman came within metres of winning his first Grand Tour stage before the galloping peloton swept past and ushered 22-year-old Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing) in for the win.
Bouet crossed the line in 57th place, clearly distraught after watching the stage win slip through his grasp at the last possible second.
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"I am the kind of guy who likes to try and attack," he said later. "However, today it hurts a little bit when it doesn't work out."
Bouet, who was second in a stage of the 2010 Tour de France to Sylvain Chavanel, joined Miguel Ángel Rubiano (Colombia), Jaco Venter (MTN-Qhubeka), Bert Jan Lindeman (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r-La Mondiale) in a move that escaped early in the 172.5km transitional stage from Andorra to Llieda.
Although conventional wisdom called for a sprint finish, the escapees enthusiastically played their cards, while race leader Fabio Aru's Astana team kept them in check.
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