Vuelta a Espana: Yates wins in Luintra with solo attack

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Simon Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) soloed to the win on stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espana from Monforte de Lemos to Luintra. The 24-year-old, who served a four-month ban for testing positive for terbutaline earlier in the year attacked in the closing stages to take his first Grand Tour stage of his career.

Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) missed the winning attack but had enough to take second place ahead of Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo), 22 seconds down on Yates.

Overnight race leader Darwin Atapuma (BMC Racing) had a relatively calm day in the saddle and retains the leader's jersey going into Friday's stage to Puebla de Sanabria.

Yates' attack on the final unclassified climb was deft in touch but mightily effective. He latched onto Daniel Moreno's wheel when the Movistar rider attacked with just over five kilometres of racing remaining. The Spaniard was dispatched with moments later as the road continued to climb, leaving Yates with just Matthias Frank (IAM Cycling) - who had attacked earlier – to chase down. Yates made it look easy, powering past the Swiss rider, before a sharp descent to the line.

Behind him Ben Hermans (BMC Racing), Moreno and a fading Frank attempted to mount a chase, but if Yates' initial surges were swift and effective then his solo run to the line was simply unmatchable. The British rider came into the race in rich form and with somewhat of a point to prove after his team failed provide a therapeutic use exemption, which led to his ban earlier in the season. His win wasn't an individual effort either, with his Orica teammates present in chasing down the early break before Movistar took responsibility with 30 kilometres still to go and Frank – and several other riders – clear of the field.

How it unfolded

Stage 6 began without Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Robert Kiserlovski (Tinkoff), both of whom were victims of crashes during the previous stage, while a minute of silence was paid by the riders out of respect for the victims of Wednesday's earthquake in Italy.

When the flag fell the attacks were constant but it took nearly an hour before a group containing Kevin Reza (FDJ), Andrey Zeits (Astana), Jan Bakelants (AG2R - La Mondiale), Alberto Losada (Katusha), Gert Dockx (Lotto Soudal), José Mendes and Gregor Muhlberger (Bora-Argon18), Omar Fraile (Dimension Data), Mathias Frank (IAM Cycling), Valerio Conti (Lampre - Merida) and Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo) were able to move clear.

Behind them the peloton eased back, allowing the group to build a tentative lead that never peaked above more than four minutes.

On the Alto Alenza the unity within the break shattered with Fraile going clear.

The Dimension Data rider tackled the climb and the subsequent undulating terrain with gusto and verve but Zeits, Bakelants, Didier, Losada and Frank lay in wait, forming a five-man chase with the Orica controlled peloton at 1:40.

Fraile, hunting KOM points as well as possible stage win, brought his lead to over three minutes with 45 kilometres remaining before a brief surge from Alberto Contador's team reduced the gap to back under 2:45.

On the narrow descent Losada ran out of road – but stayed upright – while Movistar, and in particular Jose Joaquin Rojas, set a furious pace.

Fraile's lead began to evaporate on the next unclassified climb through Chandrexa, with Didier unable to match his companions in the chase.The three remaining – Bakelants, Frank and Zeits, made contact just before the summit with the IAM rider attacking almost immediately.

Frank, who made the top 10 in the 2015 Tour de France, has had an indifferent year to say the least but he looked in control as he soared through the final 15 kilometres with a healthy lead over a vastly reduced bunch.

The final test was still to come, however, with another uncategorised rise inside the final five kilometres.

Movistar appeared to be working for Alejandro Valverde but it was Moreno who attacked first with Frank's gap down to just a few seconds. However when the Spaniard attacked he brought Yates with him, and once the British rider caught and dropped Moreno and then Frank, the stage was his.

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