Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) took the first Grand Tour stage win of his career on the queen stage of the Vuelta a España, with Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Chris Froome (Team Sky) once again going head-to-head just below on the Col d’Aubsique summit finish.
Gesink was part of an unusually-large 40-rider breakaway that formed ahead of the first of the four big climbs across the French border and forced Team Sky into a day-long chase as Movistar had Dani Moreno, 5:38 down overall, in the move.
The Dutchman had missed a six-man move that formed ahead of the final climb, but produced a strong ride to make his way across, before making his bid for freedom. The race situation chopped and changed but Gesink found himself with Kenny Elissonde and Egor Silin for company in the final couple of kilometres, and he managed to hold them off in the final uphill dash as the grimaces made way for elation.
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In terms of the general classification, this Vuelta was already threatening to be a two-way contest between Quintana and Froome, and the pair once again emerged as the strongest in the race as proceedings came to the boil on the Aubisque. Quintana attacked countless times, and while Contador, Chaves and others were distanced, he could not shake Froome from his wheel.
Aside from Gesink, perhaps the ride of the day belonged to Simon Yates, who moved up into fourth overall thanks to a creative and bold piece of racing. The 24-year-old, who himself claimed his first Grand Tour stage win earlier in the race on stage 6, made his move on the penultimate climb of the day, the Col de Marie-Blanque, before linking up with teammates who had dropped back from the break. Once alone on the final climb, he made his way past a host of breakaway remnants and eventually finished 5th at 39 seconds to jump above Contador, Konig, and Valverde, who was dropped early on the Aubsique and fell out of the top 10.
Quintana still leads the Vuelta from Froome by 54 seconds – one mountain stage down and one step closer to the all-important time trial – while Chaves now finds himself in third at two minutes, with Yates a further 16 seconds back. Konig is fifth at 2:38, while Contador, who did attack on the Aubisque, lost 20 seconds and is now 3:28 off the lead, his hopes growing fainter by the day.
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