Vuelta a Espana stage 6 Live - First mountaintop finish
Category-1 Pico Jano summit finish to shape red jersey battle
Vuelta a España – Results and news
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Stage 5: Soler solos to victory as Roglic hands red jersey to Molard
Into the unknown: Vuelta a España GC favourites face test on new summit finish
Finish line
- Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wins stage 6 of the Vuelta a España
- Evenepoel takes overall lead with brutal display on first summit finish
- Only Mas can follow the Belgian as Roglic and others all lose over a minute
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España
We've had a couple of hilly stages in the Basque Country but things start to get serious now with the first summit finish of the Vuelta. Roglič won on a kicker in Laguardia but this is another beast. While stiffer tests await in the second week, the category-1 and all-new ascent of Pico Jana in Cantabria will provide the first real climbing test of the race, and start to give some more clues and more shape in the battle for the red jersey.
The riders have all signed on for the stage and are gathering on the start line. Just five minutes away from the roll-out, with the official start a further 20 minutes away.
Today's start is at the Sam Mamés football stadium in Bilbao, home to Athletic Club de Bilbao.
Before we get going, why not catch up on yesterday's action? There was a breakaway thriller and the red jersey changed hands. Report, results, and photos all in here:
Marc Soler holds off chase to take solo victory on stage 5 at Vuelta a España
We're on the move. A slightly delayed roll-out but the riders are now heading towards kilometre-zero.
Here's a first peek at the final climb. You won't have seen it before, because it's not been used in a professional race before. 6.5% is a modest average gradient but you have two pretty flat kilometres in the middle, with some pretty serious stuff either side.
It's not all about the summit finish today. The Pico Jana is in fact preceded in fairly short order by another cat-1 climb, the Collada de Brenes, which is steeper still - 6.8km at 8.2%
For all you could possibly want to know about today's climbs, here's the trusty Alasdair Fotheringham.
Into the unknown: Vuelta a España GC favourites face test on new summit finish
We're off
The stage is officially waved underway. Here comes the battle for the breakaway.
Mikel Iturria (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is the first attacker, but he doesn't get far.
It's another rapid start.
We've got a 10-man move going clear and this looks promising.
Yes, the peloton are letting this go after almost 20km of racing.
In the breakaway are:
Ruben Fernandez (Cofidis)
Mark Padun (EF Education-EasyPost)
Jan Bakelants (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert)
Nelson Oliveira (Movistar)
Fausto Masnada (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)
Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco)
Marco Brenner (Team DSM)
Dario Cataldo (Trek-Segafredo)
Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
Breakaway analysis
- Euskaltel are there but fellow Spanish wildcard teams Kern Pharma and Burgos-BH have missed the boat for the first time.
- It's interesting to see Masnada there again for a second day in a row - he'd arguably have been considered Remco Evenepoel's top domestique but does not look in great form. It's sort of tempting to see him as a potential satellite rider but he probably has freedom to try things - or, as he put it yesterday - "to show that I am here".
- Bakelants is the best-placed on GC, at 5:02 down.
150km to go
Groupama-FDJ control the peloton, with Rudy Molard having taken the red jersey in yesterday's breakaway. They've pegged the gap at 4 minutes after 30km of racing.
Here's a first shot of the breakaway
The riders have just tackled a short uncategorised climb but the proper climbing begins with the cat-2 Puerto de Alisas, just after we cross from the Basque Country into Cantabria with 110km remaining.
The gap extends to 4:45. We're around 15km from the foot of the first climb of the day.
Big news coming out ahead of the World Championships is that Caleb Ewan hasn't been selected for Australia. The final line-up is currently subject to two appeals.
There was one non-starter today and that was Jan Hirt (Intermarché), who tested positive for COVID-19. After a few pre-race withdrawals, Hirt is the second rider to leave the Vuelta with COVID after Dan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo) yesterday.
114km to go
The gap between the 10-man breakaway and the FDJ-led peloton hits five minutes.
The Puerto de Alisas is 8.7km long at an average gradient of 5.8%.
Here's the map. We're heading west along Spain's north coast before turning inland into hillier terrain and our final ascent of Pico Jana.
The breakaway hit the climb and take their lead beyond the five-minute mark, making Bakelants the virtual leader of the Vuelta.
The gap stretches out towards the six-minute mark on the Puerto de Alisas.
At the top of the Puerto de Alisas, Ruben Fernandez is first to the line, ahead of Cataldo and Azparren.
A descent now and then 50km before we hit the big final two climbs.
It's a dark and cloudy afternoon in Cantabria and we've had the first drops of rain.
The peloton pass over the Alisas at an arrears of five minutes. FDJ have been controlling so far but we could see GC teams start to come to the fore in the valley as we approach the first of the two cat-1 climbs.
92km to go
Onto the flat and the gap has come down to 5:20.
Here's a bit more on the red jersey.
Molard leads Vuelta a España a year after crash that left him with collapsed lung
QuickStep-AlphaVinyl send a rider to the front of the peloton to help set pace. The team have a rider in the break.
It's Remi Cavagna who has been sent to the front for QuickStep, now riding ahead of four FDJ riders.
The gap comes down to 4:30, and QuickStep, despite having a rider in the break, seem keen to kill its chances today, Evenepoel possibly sensing an opportunity.
A steadily drizzle has wettened the roads and the riders. The skies are so grim today.
74km to go
The breakaway in turn appeared to have increased the pace, and the gap is stabilising at 4:30.
And now Cavagna appears to knock off his effort. Odd.
Ah, Evenepoel has had a mechanical. That's why. The young Belgian gets sorted back at the car and is on his way back to the bunch with a teammate.
Evenepoel is back in with a minimum of fuss but the rain is coming down harder now. This could make for an interesting descent between the two cat-1 climbs. It might actually deter any vague thoughts of aggression on the first of them.
Evenepoel's mechanical has seen the gap go back out to 4:50. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) is also back in the cars now.
65km to go
Cavagna is back on the front now. The gap is 5 minutes and we're just over 20km from the foot of the first big climb.
The breakaway hit the uncategorised bump you should be able to see in the stage profile at the top of your page. It's a sapper but it's just an appetiser for the real climbing to come.
The peloton hits the climb and there's a bunching up. Luke Plapp hits the front on the right to keep his Ineos teammates in position.
Over that short climb and the gap has fallen back down to 4:30.
50km to go
Into the final 50 and we're less than 10km away from the first of our two big cat-1 climbs. The race is starting to liven up and the pace in the peloton has seen the gap to the 10-man breakaway come down to 3:40. It looks like the winner today will be coming from a GC contender.
Ineos have started to make a concerted push at the head of the bunch now. They are fully in command.
The gap falls to three minutes now as Plapp leads the way for Ineos.
Crash. Cataldo has crashed out of the breakaway, slipping out on a wet corner.
Another crash! Same corner as Cataldo!
The peloton hit that same bend and several riders go down. One from Israel has stayed down and looks (or sounds) in a great deal of pain.
It's Carl Fredrik Hagen for Israel and he lays stricken. The Norwegian made his breakthrough at this race a few years ago but this looks like Vuelta over for him.
Gregor Muhlberger was shouting even louder, though in frustration. He has crashed on almost every stage so far at this Vuelta.
The peloton has been disrupted by that crash and it looks like a sizeable split.
Not many riders left in the front peloton after that crash. Maybe 15 riders.
Ben Turner continues to drive it on for Ineos, while the main bunch - where Molard sits - scrambles to get back ahead of the Collada de Brenes
That second peloton is coming back, just in time.
Roglic was safely up front, as was Evenepoel, and now his teammate Alaphilippe comes through ahead of Ineos to keep the pace high.
41km to go
The climb has started now. It's the Collada de Brenes and it's the biggest climb of the Vuelta so far, the first cat-1 ascent and 6.8km long at 8.2%.
The breakaway quickly breaks up and Padun goes on the attack
Alaphilippe leads the peloton at 1:45. A peloton where a number of riders started this steep climb very much on the back foot.
Padun sails clear of the rest of the break. He has had a largely anonymous season, and of course there has been the significant difficulty of the war unfolding in his native Ukraine, but he could be on his way back here. He looks really strong and really fast.
Padun has opened a lead of 37 seconds, with Masnada the next rider on the road from the break. Wow. The EF rider has put the peloton back to two minutes, having started the climb 1:40 ahead.
QuickStep continue to set the pace with three riders at the head of the thinning bunch.
Masnada has been joined by Fernandez, and now dropped by him.
Padun is flying. He won back-to-back stages at last year's Dauphiné and has shown other flashes of world class form but is a really inconsistent rider. He looks like he's on one of his good days here.
There were some riders and teams who anonymously voiced suspicions of doping at last year's Dauphiné, which seemed to be grasped upon when Padun wasn't selected by Bahrain Victorious for the Tour de France and not given a new contract. It's something EF boss Jonathan Vaughters opened up about when we spoke to him over the winter, discussing how he made sure he was signing a clean rider, and why he feels Padun has massive untapped potential.
'It takes one to know one' – Vaughters sees no red flags in Mark Padun
Padun is into the final kilometre of the Collada de Brenes and he has put his closest chaser, now Fernandez, back to 55 seconds. The peloton is now at 2:10
Molard dropped. The red jersey has lost contact with the Alaphilippe-led bunch.
Alaphilippe is still on the front for QuickStep. They're gaining on all the breakaway riders, but not Padun.
35km to go
Padun heads into the mist and crests the Collada de Brenes all alone with a lead of just over a minute. We thought the breakaway was done for but on that evidence Padun has a chance.
Fernandez and Masnada are the only riders left in the chase from the break as the peloton crest at 2 minutes down.
The descent is soaking wet, and it's treacherous, with a number of technical and blind bends. He's nursing the bike at the moment.
Bahrain take over in the bunch for the descent.
I'm not sure if Fred Wright got over that climb in the bunch. If so, with Molard dropped, he could ride into the red jersey. Otherwise Bahrain are just riding to keep Landa safe.
Masnada catches and passes Fernandez, who is not a strong descender.
28km to go
Padun is having a torrid time out there. Masnada closes back to 50 seconds, having started the descent around 1:20 down. The bunch is now at 1:25, having started it 2:00 down. He's flying uphill but he's crawling downhill, and that could cost him the stage victory.
Alaphilippe takes back over from Bahrain and flies out in front, casually flicking his bike round a corner on sodden roads.
Masnada continues to gain. 25 seconds now and Padun can't wait for this descent to end, which it is now.
Padun is on the flat now as he heads into the final 25km. We have 10km in the valley - some of it uphill - before we start the final ascent.
Alaphilippe leads the peloton through the valley and the rain is hammering it down now. Everyone got down safe, though.
Padun gains some time on the flight. 30 seconds now over Masnada. The Ukrainian is clearly strong, but his hopes have taken a huge blow on that descent.
Padun has a minute in hand. He still has a slim, slim chance, but even with the way he's been climbing, this stretch in the valley is going to really hurt him, while the GC contenders will be fresh when they open the taps on the final climb.
Alaphilippe continues to lead the peloton. Evenepoel surely will try something after all this work.
Ineos have taken a back seat since the Bernes, but they've also been prominent. The interesting thing is that the pre-race leader, Richard Carapaz, lost some seconds on the first uphill finish a couple of days ago, while Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart were up front. The Ecuadorian remains their number one card, but it will be interesting to see how they play the other two.
Meanwhile Jumbo have been quiet after handing over the red jersey.
Molard is still chasing with four teammates now. He's not far behind the cars at the back of the peloton.
19km to go
Padun rolls through the irrelevant intermediate sprint, with a lead of 32 seconds over Masnada and Fernandez, who are back together. The peloton is at 50 seconds.
The final climb will likely be new to you, unless you're a really committed cycling nerd or Cantabrian connoisseur. That's because it's never been used in a pro race before. Here's Alasdair Fotheringham (with the help of Mikel Bizkarra) with all you need to know about it.
Into the unknown: Vuelta a España GC favourites face test on new summit finish
The peloton catch Masnada and Fernandez. The Cofidis rider slips back into anonymity but Masnada is put straight to work on this QuickStep train.
The reduced peloton chugs along 50 seconds behind Padun with 15km to go and just under 3km to the foot of the Pico Jano.
Here's what the climb looks like. Steep for 6km, flat for 2km, then fairly hard again at the top.
Alaphilippe is still on the front for QuickStep and is surely just taking this onto the climb before handing over.
A short dip down to the foot of the climb, and Padun almost comes unstuck on a corner!
12km to go
Padun hits the Pico Jana!
Here we go
The peloton hit the climb 55 seconds down and Alaphilippe pulls aside and almost comes to a standstill. A great shift from the world champ.
Here was Padun on the previous climb.
Molard got himself back in the bunch in the nick of time but it's going to split open again soon.
Masnada takes over from Alaphilippe. But he was in the break and already climbing slower than Padun.
And the gap duly goes up! Padun moves out to 1:05.
Evenepoel is posed in second wheel. Masnada is his final teammate.
Will Evenepoel go from range? Masnada is grimacing and doesn't have much left. What will QuickStep's leader do here. He might have expected to be taken further up.
Attacks! The pace is slow, so Padun pulls out to 1:10 and now riders are attacking from the bunch.
A rider apiece from Cofidis and Arkea are on the move.
It's Elie Gesbert for Arkea and Davide Villella for Cofidis. Jay Vine (Alpecin) sets off in pursuit now.
More go now! QuickStep have looked to control and set things up but they've lost all control. They can't ride fast enough here and Masnada is done now! Evenepoel is isolated.
9.5km to the top and Padun has 1:15 in hand. Wow.
Meintjes hits the front of the bunch. It's calm.
But Simon Yates attacks now!!
It's on!
This is the first big attack from a favourite at this Vuelta. Responses have to come.
Geoghegan Hart goes after it!
It looks like O'Connor is there, plus we can see Sivakov coming through the mist behind as well.
Roglic is there as the favourites come up to Yates.
Landa dropped!
He was whispering about not going for GC but it seems real. Landa is way off it.
Evenepoel accelerates!
They breeze past the earlier attackers as the young Belgian looks to keep the GC battle open.
Roglic is right on it.
8.5km to to the top and Vine is the last interloper, 40 seconds behind Padun, with the GC group at 1 minute.
Evenepoel continues to set the pace on the front, and doesn't seem to mind.
Mas and O'Connor are up there with Roglic. Sivakov is looking good but we can't see Carapaz at the moment.
Evenepoel is splitting this GC group! He's riding riders off the wheel! Six left!
Roglic, Mas, Sivakov, O'Connor, Yates, Hindley..
Carapaz is well dropped and with Sepp Kuss.
Yates loses contact!
Only Sivakov, Mas, and Roglic can follow Evenepoel!
And now Roglic and Sivakov are dropping!
Incredible.
Mas is the only rider left in Evenepoel's wheel. This has been an elimination one by one from the young Belgian. Remarkable.
Is Evenepoel a Grand Tour rider? It's the big question of this Vuelta and it won't be answered until Madrid but this is looking like a big first statement.
7km to go
Padun leads, Vine is going really well at 15 seconds now, but Evenepoel is firing on all cylinders at 35 seconds and with only Mas left with him.
Evenepoel looks around and sees if Mas wants to come through. The answer is a predictable no.
Vine catches Padun 6.6km from the summit.
And Vine immediately drops him. Vine alone in the lead but Evenepoel advancing quickly.
Juan Ayuso attacks behind! The Spanish super talent rides away from Roglic et al.
6km to go
Evenepoel and Mas catch Padun. They're 20 seconds behind Vine.
Ayuso has left Sivakov, Yates, Roglic for dead. What a ride this could be. The UAE Team Emirates rider is one of the big talents in pro cycling but his time could be now. He's 19!!!
They're dealing with the flatter section and the skies are so closed-in and grey, and spray is being kicked up by every wheel.
Mas hangs with Evenepoel, a dream scenario for him. They're 20 seconds ahead of Aysuo.
A regrouping behind. Yates, Roglic, Sivakov, O'Connor, Rodriguez, Kelderman, Lopez, Higuita all together.
No Hindley, no Carapaz.
3.5km to go and Vine is on one.... He has 25 seconds over Evenepoel and Mas. Ayuso is at 43 seconds.
Sivakov attacks from the main GC group. Geoghegan Hart is there too.
Gino Mader is also there for Bahrain but they're losing 40 seconds to Evenepoel and Mas as it stands.
Evenepoel and Mas close to 20 seconds. Will Mas finally offer up a turn?
If Mas isn't suffering too much in the wheel then he could think about hitting out for the stage win at the last, but they have to catch Vine first!
2.5km to go
Vine leads, Evenepoel and Mas at 20 seconds, Ayuso at 43 seconds. GC group around 20 seconds further back but no official time gaps.
Roglic is forced to lead the chase group. Hindley is in the wheel, present and correct after all.
Vine heads into the final 2km. He wants to win his first race. He only became a pro cyclist after winning a video game... it would be a remarkable story.
Vine is matching Evenepoel, matching Mas, matching Ayuso, matching Roglic and the rest. Time gaps are stable with 1700m to go and this is quite a ride
Almeida is back with the GC group, Thymen Arensman too.
Ayuso is fading! 48 seconds now after a flying attack.
Evenepoel and Mas are at 18 seconds with 1300 metres to go and it looks like Vine might hold on!
20 seconds now!
1km to go
Vine heads under the flamme rouge. Not that you can see it. You can barely see a thing up here. He has 19 seconds in hand
Ayuso is suffering. He's at 55 seconds and if he returns to the GC group we'll get a definitive time gap.
Roglic still on the front of the GC group.
600 metres to go for Vine and he still has 20 seconds.
Vine's going to take the stage but Evenepoel is going to make a statement and Mas is going to gain. What will the damage be? We'll count them across the line.
Vine springs from the saddle! He still has something left. He's going to do it
Vine, enshrouded in mist, comes to the finish. We can barely see him. The photos of his first pro victory won't amount to much, but the memories will endure. What a moment.
Vine wins it!
Evenepoel sprints and takes second place at 15 seconds, Mas third one or two seconds behind in the end.
Here comes Ayuso. He's staying ahead of the main GC group.... 56 seconds down.
Roglic and the rest are going to lose around 90 seconds to Evenepoel and Mas.
They cross the line 1:35 down, so a deficit of 1:10 to Evenepoel, who also took six bonus seconds for second place.
We'll await official confirmation, with Molard still to finish, but it looks like Evenepoel has taken the overall lead.
What a stage!
Results
Let's hear from the winner, who became a pro cyclist in 2021 after winning the Zwift Academy, which is basically indoor cycling X-Factor.
"It's almost unreal. I missed the break, had a flat tyre in first 5km, and even though it was still the team's plan that if came back together that it was for me to go on the final climb, it's unreal to to be able to do that, and to do it from the GC group is incredible. I've been working towards this all year, after last year going so close, it's a dream come true.
"I knew that Padun was still up the road and if I was gonna close the gap I had to go long. It was the plan. I was 13 minutes down on GC so no one would care if I went and I was able to manage my effort and pace the climb pretty handily.
"This is for you, my wife, who's basically done everything for me for the past three or four years to get me to this point. I guess it's time for me to get a Corvette now."
The finish line photos are delayed given the conditions at the top of the mountain but here was Vine a little further down it
And here's the days' main GC winner, and new overall leader, Remco Evenepoel, on the charge.
Let's delve into the GC damage...
- Evenepoel is our leader and new reference point
- Mas loses three seconds (one on the line, and his four bonus seconds were two fewer than Evenepoel)
- Ayuso loses 46 seconds (40 on the line, six in bonuses)
- A big main group loses 1:28 - Roglic, Yates, Sivakov, Geoghegan Hart, Rodriguez, Hindley, Kelderman, O'Connor, Mader, Almeida, Arensman
- A few stragglers lose more time - Lopez 1:41, Higuita 1:48, Carthy 2:04, Kuss 2:23, Uran 2:33, Valverde 2:34, Pozzovivo 2:41
- CARAPAZ LOSES 2:50
What that all means is...
Remco Evenepoel leads the Vuelta by 21 seconds over Molard (who tried and just failed to hang onto the red jersey), by 28 seconds over Enric Mas (now his closest challenger), and by 1:01 over Roglič (arguably still the most dangerous GC competitor).
Juan Ayuso bursts onto the scene in fourth at 1:12, while Ineos have three riders in the mix either side of the 90-second mark but none of them is their pre-race leader, Carapaz (who's at 2:56).
Yates is at 1:52 and Almeida is at 1:54 but 42 seconds behind his own teammate Ayuso.
Hindley and Kelderman at 1:55 are the only other riders within two minutes of Evenepoel and look the leading lights for Bora after Higuita faded at the end.
Finally, a winner's photo. Hang that on your wall, Jay Vine, or don't...
Reaction from Roglic
Primoz Roglic 'didn't have the legs' to follow Evenepoel on first summit finish of Vuelta a España
And here's the run-down of the overall standings
The current GC standings in the 2022 Vuelta a España after stage 6
Evenepoel in red
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