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:
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.
We're off
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:
Breakaway analysis
150km to go
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 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
Here's a bit more on the red jersey.
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
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
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
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 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.
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
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.