Mads Pedersen is leading the breakaway down the descent, a pace that has helped them grow their lead to four minutes.
70KM TO GO
Here are the new KOM classifications. 4 of the top 6 are in this break, so we expect more hotly-contested battles for the remaining points on offer today.
The peloton have reached the top of the climb, about 3:45 after the leaders.
Vine takes 5 points, Nicolau 3 points, and Quinn 1 point.
And with the summit approaching, Quinn, Vine and Nicolau are sprinting for the points…and Vine takes it!
KOM - PUERTO DE LA CREU DE PERVES
Apologies - the riders were indeed already on the climb, and 2.5km away from the top rather than the start.
Although the official start of the Puerto de la Creu de Perves is still over 2km away, it won’t feel that way to the riders, who have been climbing for a while and are on tough gradients already.
The gradient has increased a little, and a few riders are being dropped from the peloton.
Juan Ayuso indicated at the finish yesterday that his losing time was less a case of bad legs than it was him not rinding for GC, and the way he attacked and rode solo for so long on the first mountain of today’s stage suggests that’s true - and that he has the form to compete for the stage win today.
The gap is at 3:50. It feels too early to determine what kind of a chance the break has of succeeding, but it certainly has a chance.
90KM TO GO
One of the most eye-catching names in the break is Mads Pedersen. As surprisingly good a climber as he can be, you still would have thought this would be too mountainous a start for the Dane.
A strange moment towards the back of the peloton, as Fernando Barceló’s saddle falls off. Thankfully he avoided injury, and has got himself a new bike.
It’s still very relaxed in the peloton. The Bahrain riders at the front are all taking a moment to feed from their musettes.
About 4 minutes for the leaders over the peloton. The road is about to tilt uphill again, ahead of the official start of the category two Puerto de la Creu de Perves, coming up in about 20km.
100KM TO GO
One rider who could challenge the UAE pair is Harold Tejada. He’s one of the best climbers on paper in this breakaway group, having finished in the top overall at the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice earlier this year.
The breakaway group.
Easily the most dangerous looking team in the break is UAE Team Emirates XRG. With both yesterday’s stage winner Jay Vine, and one of the best climbers in the peloton in Juan Ayuso, it’s difficult to see how anyone else in this break could stop them.
The gap's grown to over 3 minutes. There's no sense of urgency in the peloton for now.
110KM TO GO
The highest placed rider on GC in this break is Raúl García Pierna at 4:57, followed by Marco Frigo at 6:10. That gives Bahrain some leeway in their defence of Torstein Træen’s red jersey, but they’ll still have to do work to quell their threat.
Almost two minutes for the leaders, as they ride the valley approaching the second climb. For the first time all day, things have settled down.
120KM TO GO
The gap is growing, up to 1:30. Still Bahrain lead the peloton, but at a pace to control, rather than chase, the break.
The answer appears to be yes - the pace has eased, and the gap has grown to 1:15.
The question now is whether the peloton is happy to let the remaining breakaway group a gap. Red jersey leaders Bahrain-Victorious were the team who worked to bring back the chase group - are they happy with the make-up of this group?
The chase group now have been caught by the peloton, leaving just the 12 leaders out in front.
Here are the updated KOM rankings after the day's first mountain. Quinn moves up ahead of Nicolau after beating him in the sprint, while Vine retains the overall lead despite failing to add to his tally.
It seems more likely the chasers will be caught by the peloton than join the leaders. They're 40 seconds behind the latter, and only 12 seconds ahead of the former.
130KM TO GO
Movistar are the main team represented in this chase group, with Castrillo and Romo both present.
The chase group is closer to the peloton (17 seconds) than it is the leaders (35 seconds).
The riders in between the leaders and the peloton have joined to form one chase group, of about 10 riders.
There are some groups in between the leaders and the peloton.
That 13-man group leads the peloton by 38 seconds - the biggest anyone has had all stage. Could this be the break of the day?
140KM TO GO
The riders in the group that caught Ayuso and is now leading the race are - Pedersen, Vine, Frigo, García Pierna, Quinn, Van der Lee, Nicolau, Vermaerke, Howson, Sepúlveda, Rolland and Tejada.
Ayuso has been caught by the chase group. He must have slowed down as he started descending.
Pedersen has been brought back by the group of chasers, which now has about 15 riders in it. They're 15 seconds behind Ayuso.
150KM TO GO
Ayuso reaches the top first, followed by Pedersen, whole Nicolau and Quinn sprint for third.
KOM - PORT DEL CANTO
Pedersen is no longer closing in on Ayuso - he's started to struggle while Ayuso is soaring to the summit.
Former mountains classification leader Nicolau is in that move - he must have the KOM points in mind, coming up in just over a kilometre.
Meanwhile another chase group of 4 has formed behind Pedersen.
Pedersen is even closing in on Ayuso - he can see him up the road.
Mads Pedersen has attacked! That's quite something considering he was dropped out of the peloton earlier on this climb.
And that group have now all been brought back into the peloton. So once again we're back in the situation we were in - Ayuso leading, and the peloton all together.
The 5-man Vervaeke group has caught Raúl García Pierna .
More riders have joined Vervaeke.
Vervaeke has passed that chase group, and is now third on the road behind Ayuso and Garcia Pierna.
More attacks out of the peloton, including from Vervaeke.
They've been joined by a couple of other riders.
Peters and Quinn are the two attackers.
As we speak, the attacks recommence with a Decathlon and an EF rider giving it a go.
Activity has quietened down in the peloton, with the attacks ceasing for now. Raúl García Pierna has managed to stay ahead of the peloton, though.
Ayuso leads, by 25 seconds. Raúl García Pierna is second behind him, and the peloton is still together behind him - for now.
160KM TO GO
Raúl García Pierna has attacked out of the peloton and has a gap.
We're halfway up the climb, and still Ayuso is the only rider with a gap on the peloton.
Again Vine’s attempt has been shut down, by the Visma-led peloton.
Still Ayuso leads the race, by about 20 seconds.
Picnic, Groupama and EF are the teams of the three riders with Vine.
Vine has another gap, and has brought three riders with him.
The peloton is much smaller than at the start of the climb, with many riders dropped.
The peloton and Vine group have merged, although Vine himself isn't giving up yet and continues to ride at the front.
The Vine chase group has grown a little.
Ayuso's lead had come down to just over 10 seconds, but is back up to 20 seconds as he perseveres up this climb.
Vine has five riders with him in a counter-attack move.
The attacks keep coming, with Vine trying again. Visma are being put under pressure.
Some more riders tried a conter-attack from the peloton, including Jay Vine, but have been shut down.
Juan Ayuso leading the race.
Ayuso has a lead of 25 seconds, but Visma are for now preventing it from getting any higher.
170KM TO GO
Visma-Lease a Bike are the team pulling at the front of the peloton, and don't seem keen by the idea of Ayuso being in the break.
The chase group has been caught by the peloton, but Ayuso remains clear out front.
That chase group of three is now a chase group of seven, with more trying to join from out of the peloton.
Ayuso leads alone, with a chase group of three formed behind him. The rest of the peloton is together behind them.
The group has been caught by the peloton, but Ayuso has attacked again.
UAE seem out to cause chaos today. Vine and Soler are also in this group, as well as Ayuso.
That Ayuso group is the front group, having absorbed those who attacked earlier.
This is an attack from Ayuso - he has about 10 riders with him, and a gap of a few seconds over the peloton.
Interetingly, Juan Ayuso is riding at the front of the peloton. It's unclear whether he's trying to attack, or setting a pace for UAE.
Romo, Garcia Cortina, Knight, Denz and Eddy are all there.
A chase group has also formed behind the 3 leaders and ahead of those attackers out of the peloton.
Here come the attacks out of the peloton - three riders slip clear at the start of the climb.
The riders have begun the climb.
Any attacks made and moves formed in these early kilometres may become moot shortly, once they start climbing the first mountain of the day, Port del Cantó. It’s a big one, lasting 24.9km at an average of 4.4%, and so will be where the stronger climbers can ensure they get into the day’s break.
Planckaert has been distenced from the other three.
That quartet has a gap, but only of a few seconds.
180KM TO GO
That's two Alpecin riders in Planckaert and Gilvar.
Gal Glivar Pierre Thierry and Jonas Gregaard have all joined Planckaert in the front group.
Edward Planckaert is the Alpecin rider leading, while Eduardo Sepulveda was the Lotto rider who put in the first attack.
That Lotto rider has been caught, and now an Alpecin rider leads alone.
A tentative start to the race. It took over a kilometre for the first attack to be made, by a Lotto rider.
And they're off!
OFFICIAL START
The riders will begin racing any moment now.
On to today’s stage, which is one of the hardest of the whole Vuelta. There are four mountains in total, and the toughest has been kept until last, the category one Cerler. If yesterday’s stage was a first real, tentative GC sort-out, the race could burst into life today.
Giving away the red jersey yesterday was all part of the plan for Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike, according to Matteo Jorgenson. The American said at the finish yesterday that they were ‘really happy’ with the outcome, made even better by the fact their GC rivals UAE Team Emirates XRG lost one of their GC leaders Juan Ayso as a GC candidate.
Here are today’s jersey wearers at the start - yesterday’s stage winner Jay Vine in the white and blue as mountain’s leader; Torstein Træen in red; Mads Pedersen in green; and Giulio Pellizzari in white.
We have another withdrawal before the start of the stage - Cristián Rodríguez of Arkéa - B&B Hotels.
A first look at Torstein Træen in red.
The riders are on the move, taking off from the unofficial start for what is an unusually long neutralised section.
We have a new leader of the Vuelta - Norway’s Torstein Træen. Træen has a lead of 31 seconds over his fellow escapee from yesterday's stage, Bruno Armirail in second, and 2:33 over Jonas Vingegaard, the first of the ‘real’ GC contenders.
That’s a big lead, but today is a big stage, and there’s lots of mountains for him to survive. Træen himself says he has ‘no idea’ how long he can keep the red jersey, but will give it his best shot.
Hola and welcome to stage 7 of the Vuelta a España!
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