A show of strength from the Movistar Team on the Vuelta a Espana's first summit finish has proved a resounding success, enabling the Spanish team both to net the overall lead and simultaneously boost their chances overall.
Ruben Fernandez bolted away - or at least as much as you can do that on a climb as fearsomely steep as Ezaro - with a late attack that netted the him the overall lead as well as second on the stage.
Alejandro Valverde may be riding his third Grand Tour, but he still crossed the line just behind, in third - suggesting, yet again, that he is in at least as good form as some of his top rivals and not just here as a support role for teammate Nairo Quintana. Then the Colombian rolled across in sixth at 32 seconds behind Geniez.
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Overall, apart from the lead for Fernandez, Movistar have considerable strength in numbers on the highest segment of the GC. Valverde is now second at seven seconds - having taken third and a time bonus, just as he did on the same climb in the Vuelta four years ago - and Quintana fifth at 17 seconds. All that was lacking was the stage win.
Quite apart from the results, there was also an impressive display of force by Movistar on the lower slopes of the climb and which confirms the Spanish team, together with Sky, as one of the strongest squads, if not the strongest, on the Vuelta this year.
Valverde was delighted for his teammate Fernández, who also hails from Valverde's home region of Murcia in south-east Spain. "I could not be happier for my fellow country-man," Valverde said, "He carried out a brilliant ascent, in what was a really hard climb. He's not somebody who's just jumped out of nowhere, he's a quality rider. He worked hard for us and then he had the strength to go and look for the lead."
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