Stage five of the 2012 Vuelta a Espana resembled an extended criterium with its 21km laps around Logroño.
While it came as little surprise that the stage was fought out among the sprinters, the second victory in a week for German, John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano), confirmed the arrival of an exciting young talent.
With Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) and Degenkolb’s teammate, Marcel Kittel, continuing the legacy of their countryman and sprint legend, Eric Zabel, the emergence of another star sprinter makes Germany one of the strongest sprinting nations.
And while Britain’s Ben Swift did his best to spoil Degenkolb’s party, the day belonged (again) to the young German, as these pictures from official UCI WorldTour photographer, Stefano Sirotti, show.
Degenkolb raises his arms in triumph for the second time this Vuelta after seeing off quality opposition including Daniele Benatti
Degenkolb rolls to a halt still in the midst of celebrations
Like Mark Cavendish, Degenkolb isn’t slow to thank his teammates
Degenkolb celebrates his second win of the Vuelta’s opening week
Degenkolb celebrates a good day at the office with a quiet drink
