As it happened: Remco Evenepoel extends GC lead on Vuelta a España stage 5

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 5 of the Vuelta a España!

A look at the map for today's stage as the riders head south towards the coast.

It looks like we should see a sprint finish today with a largely flat run to the line on the stage and just one classified climb.

Two riders won't take the start today, including a sprinter – Bryan Coquard. The Cofidis rider suffered an expected fractured scapula in a crash on stage 4.

Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) is also out of the race with a knee injury.

Stage 3 winner Kaden Groves will be among the riders taking the start, however, and he'll be among the top favourites for glory again today.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter will likely face off against riders including Juan Molano (UAE Team Emirates), Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroën), Milan Menten (Lotto-Dstny), Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Alberto Dainese (dsm-firmenich), Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek), and more.

Just under half an hour to go until the peloton rolls out to start the stage.

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Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar) is also out of the race this morning after suffering a fractured clavicle in a crash on stage 4.

Yesterday's stage 4 saw Kaden Groves outpace Juan Molano to the line in Tarragona on a crash-hit day at the Vuelta. Can he do it again today?

Meanwhile, disaster was averted on the stage as police prevented pro-Catalan independence activists from pouring oil on the road ahead of the race.

The peloton has started rolling out through the 7.8km neutral zone to start the stage!

Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla) has crashed in the neutral zone.

The riders, including Dunbar, still making their way to the start proper.

186.5km to go

The flag drops, racing is underway, and the attacks begin!

Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) is leading the moves early on.

Jarrad Drizners (Lotto-Dstny) is chasing Quinn.

182km to go

Drizners is across to Quinn and the pair are around 20 seconds up on the peloton currently.

The pair both came up through US development team Hagens Berman Axeon before heading to the WorldTour peloton.

177km to go

Nobody else coming across to them yet. 

But the peloton is closing in...

174km to go

Now Quinn and Drizners are caught. All back together.

Counter attacks are flying. Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) and Sean Flynn (dsm-firmenich) are among them but nothing is sticking yet.

Eric Fagundez (Burgos-BH) is the next to make a move.

166km to go

The peloton have let Fagundez go and he's 50 seconds up the road already.

Fagundez is a rarity in the European peloton – a Uruguayan rider.

The 25-year-old is the current national time trial champion and finished second at the Tour of Qinghai Lake this season.

163km to go

Two minutes for Fagundez now.

It's looking like we'll have just one man in the breakaway today.

157km to go

Fagundez now has four minutes on the peloton.

Jayco-AlUla have reported that Eddie Dunbar is out of the Vuelta after his crash in the neutral zone. Disappointing news for the Irishman, who enjoyed a Grand Tour breakthrough performance with a seventh place at the Giro d'Italia this spring.

An average speed of 45kph so far on the stage.

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Six abandons in the Vuelta now – Dunbar, Coquard, Goossens, Guerreiro today plus Oscar Onley and Laurens De Plus.

141km to go

Alpecin-Deceuninck in control of the peloton for Kaden Groves at 5:15 behind Fagaundez.

Fagundez isn't the only South American making a mark at this Vuelta. Argentina's Eduardo Sepulveda (Lotto-Dstny) is currently the leader of the mountain classification, while Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia also have representation in the peloton.

130km to go

5:15 still for Fagundez.

Some sizeable hills in the opening part of the stage have now been passed and now it's time for the riders to take on some smaller lumps and rises – all uncategorised, of course.

Still around 70km to go until the riders reach the top of the only climb of the day, the second-category Collado de Ibola (11.4km at 3.9%).

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115km to go

No real change in the situation as Fagundez leads solo with Alpecin-Deceuninck leading the peloton now at 4:40 back.

Here's what stage 4 winner Kaden Groves had to say about today's stage before the start...

"I guess that [wearing the green jersey] hasn't really sunk in yet. Hopefully, one day I can look back and say that I did. I'm going to enjoy my first day in green today.

"It's actually a hard day, a really hard start with quite some wind around so we expect quite some stress with the GC teams. We have to see which cards we play, it depends on the size of the breakaway but I feel like it could be a sprint today."

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We're closing in on the 100km to go marker now.

3:40 for Fagundez now.

100km to go

Into the final 100km of the stage now and the situation remains the same with Fagundez up the road alone.

Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) was third on yesterday's stage. Here's what he had to say about today...

"I know my form is good. I was happy with the result. I performed a good sprint and I hope to be in the mix again today. I think today's finish suits a sprint, there's still enough teams who want to pull for a sprint so I hope it will be a sprint.

"[It will be] a very different sprint, it will be a lot higher speed and the last corner is further from the finish so I think we will see maybe a team pulling off a better lead out than it was yesterday."

Alpecin-Deceuninck still the team in control at the head of the peloton.

90km to go

No major incidents to report as the race passes the halfway point. Soudal-QuickStep also up front in the peloton alongside Alpecin-Deceuninck.

A flatter section of the stage now as the riders approach the base of the Collado de la Ibola.

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78km to go

3:05 for Fagundez now as the gap to the peloton slowly decreases.

Another rider has left the race today – it's Eddie Dunbar's Jayco-AlUla teammate Filippo Zana, who has been suffering with stomach issues.

Fagundez and the peloton now coming close to the start of the day's only climb.

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63km to go

Uphill now as the riders race towards the top of the day's only climb.

Jumbo-Visma join Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal-QuickStep at the head of the peloton.

The riders tackling the second-category Collado de Ibola (11.4km at 3.9%) now with Fagundez at 1:45 up the road.

It's far from the steepest climb around so there isn't going to be any GC action here. The major sprinters should all stick in the peloton over the top.

The gap to Fagundez is holding for now. It's too early to bring him back for the sprint teams.

Eduardo Sepulveda (Lotto-Dstny) jumps from the front of the peloton to chase down more mountain points.

The Argentinian has 16 points to his name so far in the Vuelta.

Sepulveda has closed to within 20 seconds of Fagundez already. The peloton 50 seconds down on the solo leader.

56km to go

Sepulveda catches Fagundez just under 3km from the top of the climb.

The peloton not concerned by this move.

A kilometre to the top and Sepulveda is now clear at the front.

Fagundez now 30 seconds behind.

54km to go

Sepulveda leads the way over the second-category climb and that's more points in the bag for him.

Five points for him to take his polka dot jersey total to 21 as he retains the classification lead.

Sepulveda in the jersey of the mountain classification leader.

45 seconds from Sepulveda to Fagundez. The peloton a further 15 seconds back.

50km to go

Just 50km left now. The riders are tackling the winding descent off the climb.

Fagundez continuing on right in the middle of Sepulveda and the peloton.

The steepest slopes of the descent are over and done with and the riders take on the gentler lower slopes. A few smaller hills coming up in the following kilometres.

40km to go

It's over for Fagundez as the peloton brings him back.

Sepulveda won't last long either. He's dropping back.

A fast pace being set by Alpecin-Deceuninck now.

Now Sepulveda is caught and the peloton is all together. There wouldn't have been much sense in him continuing to battle on out front at this point.

The Belgian squad leads the peloton on another rise in the road. Just one more small hill to go in the upcoming kilometres but it's all flat after that.

35km to go

A long line of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal-QuickStep riders lead the peloton.

It's a technical run to the finish with 16 roundabouts in the final 16km today. Hopefully everybody stays upright on the road to the line.

There's the day's intermediate sprint to come too. That's in Nules at 10.9km to go.

30km to go

No change in the situation, no attacks.

UAE Team Emirates also at the front now as they work for Juan Molano.

Jumbo-Visma are up there too.

Up and over another uncategorised hill and now the peloton is racing down the downhill section onto the flat run towards Burriana.

25km to go

The peloton still all together at the moment.

Second on stage 4, here's what Molano had to say about today's stage...

"Who doesn't want to win, right? But I don't have regrets [after stage 4]. I come from a very long break after a difficult accident, and to be here racing stages in the Vuelta a España is very important for me.

"With the experience I have – I've already done four Vueltas and last year I won a stage – it gives me a bit more confidence. Now, day by day I'm feeling better, I have good legs and hopefully today will be a good day. Today is going to be a very technical and fast sprint."

The riders are still heading downhill.

A 41.4kph average speed on today's stage so far.

20km to go

We're edging closer to the finish now, into the town of La Vall d'Uixo and then to the intermediate sprint at Nules.

Kaden Groves (75pts) leads Andrea Vendrame (62pts) in the green jersey points classification fight.

Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bahrain Victorious, Soudal-QuickStep, UAE Team Emirates all up front.

15km to go

No change in the situation as the riders head towards the intermediate sprint.

Movistar and Groupama-FDJ also have several riders towards the head of the peloton.

Points and seconds up for grabs at the sprint coming up soon.

It's a headwind most of the way to the line as the riders race towards the coast.

Under a kilometre to go until the sprint. UAE Team Emirates are making a move.

It's Evenepoel who jumps off the front!

He bursts past the sprinters and takes six bonus seconds! Kaden Groves was second just behind him.

Evenepoel will now lead Enric Mas in the GC by 11 seconds tonight assuming everyone makes it to the final 3km upright.

10km to go

Into the final 10km of the stage now and the sprint squads head back to the front along with GC teams hoping to keep their leaders out of trouble.

Groves took 17 points for second place there while Vendrame didn't take any. It's a 30-point lead at 92-62 at the top of the points classification now.

Arkea-Samsic, Intermarche-Circus-Wanty, Jayco-AlUla among the new teams at the front.

The peloton is closing in on Burriana now. They'll skirt around the town before heading to the coast and the finish nearby in El Grau de Burriana.

More roundabouts dealt with just fine by all the riders.

5km to go

Still all together in the peloton as the riders speed along at over 60kph.

Soudal-QuickStep and Alpecin-Deceuninck at the front.

4km to go

Jayco-AlUla also up there. EF are moving up as well.

It's full gas to the line.

Crash!

3km to go

Several riders go down around the outside of a roundabout.

The sprint squads at the front unaffected.

Milan Menten was caught in the crash so he won't be sprinting today.

His Lotto teammate and stage 2 winner Andreas Kron also fell.

2km to go

Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) pulling at the head of the peloton.

Speeding towards the final kilometre now.

1km to go

Alpecin-Deceuninck in charge.

They're the most organised team up front.

All around the right-hander OK.

Leading out for Groves...

Lotto and Burgos have riders just behind.

It's a great leadout for teh Australian.

He hits the front and dashes to the line.

It looks like Groves against Filippo Ganna at the line!

A second stage win of the Vuelta for Kaden Groves! He beats the Italian who jumped early and from several places further back.

Finish

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has won stage 5 of the Vuelta a España!

A great sprint by Ganna too. He was very close to the win...

Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies) took third place ahead of Alberto Dainese (dsm-firmenich) and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ).

Two wins at the Vuelta, two at the Volta a Catalunya and one at the Giro d'Italia for Groves this season.

Kaden Groves sprints to the stage 5 victory.

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Remco Evenepoel was one of the big winners today, winning the intermediate sprint to gain six seconds on his rivals.

While Evenepoel, Sepulveda, and Groves extended their GC, KOM, and points leads, the solo breakaway rider of the day also got a prize. Eric Fagundez won the combativity award today.

Kaden Groves celebrates his second stage win in two days with an Alpecin-Deceuninck team photo. 

And with that, we come to the end of our stage 5 live coverage.

Be sure to keep an eye out for news coming in from Spain through the evening and more live coverage of stage 6 tomorrow!