Stage 19

The road

At the start

Three seconds, and the Naranco

Chris Horner danced away from Vincenzo Nibali on the twenty per cent ramps of Peña Cabarga, and this Vuelta is now three seconds wide. Valverde is 1:09 back, Rodríguez 2:24. Today crosses Asturias to the Alto del Naranco above Oviedo — six kilometres of climbing to finish with, and the Angliru waiting tomorrow.

How it was won

1. 179 km to go

   A breakaway day, until it isn't

   The escape has the road to itself across Asturias, and it is Katusha who take on most of the chasing — a team with a leader who can climb, a stage to win and seconds to claw back.

2. 221 km to go

   The catch comes closer

   El Padrún, with twenty kilometres left, and the escape's afternoon is nearly over. Boasson Hagen and Preidler are the last two out there.

3. 310 km to go

   All together into Oviedo

   The last two are reeled in on the approach to the city that sits at the foot of the Naranco. A flurry of attacks follows and Nicolas Roche's Saxo-Tinkoff teammates shut every one of them down.

4. 44 km to go

   Roche goes, Rodríguez goes past

   Halfway up the Alto del Naranco the Irishman makes the first move out of the red jersey group, hunting the stage. He cannot get clear of a rampaging Joaquim Rodríguez, who passes him and sails away in the last kilometre.

5. 5At the line

   Horner takes red in sight of the line

   Three seconds down on Nibali this morning, three seconds up on him tonight: Chris Horner attacks with the finish in view and takes the lead of the Vuelta a España. One summit finish left, and it is the Angliru.

The result