Sport1 min(s) read
Published 11:10 31 Oct 2020 GMT
A cyclist has revealed the toll a brutal race has had on his legs following the latest stage in the Vuelta a España.
Spanish cyclist Jose Joaquin Rojas took to Instagram to share the eye-popping snap with his 60,000+ followers.
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The 35-year-old revealed in the caption (translated from Spanish) that he was ready for stage eight of the race, but added that after "four hours" of pedaling his legs "seemed to hurt".
The snap shows the veins in Rojas' legs bulging beneath the skin.
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The breathtaking post has currently amassed more than 10,000 'likes' and received over 260 comments from bewildered social media users.
One social media user even joked: "You have a piece of leg between your veins."
Rojas, from Murcia, is a member of the Movistar Team, and is currently racing in the 75th annual Vuelta a España - a multi-stage bicycle race held primarily in Spain that was inspired by the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.
Per the Daily Star, the ongoing pandemic has meant that the event's usual route has had to be altered - making the enduring challenge even harder for the competitors.
In addition, despite normally kicking off at the end of August, this year the event is being held between October 20 and November 8.
Last year, cyclist Janez Brajkovic also shared pictures of his emancipated legs after making his comeback in the CRO Race in Croatia following a 10-month suspension after he reportedly tested positive for methylhexaneamine.
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Despite his suspension, Brajkovic described his doping ban as a "blessing" as it allowed him to focus on himself.
He wrote on his personal blog: "In a way this was a blessing, I found help, I'm doing well, and I'm not offended by negative comments if I know they're wrong. I don't care what other say or think what I should do and how I should live.
"I have self confidence back, I love myself. And in order to love others, you need to love yourself first. I can take a critic [sic] if it's justified, nobody's perfect. And as long as you get up after falling down, you're not a failure.
"This is why I want to race, cycling is me, we're inseparable. I'm aware there will be time to stop, and I have a future plan, but this is not the time yet."
