Stage 15

The road

At the start

Lagos de Covadonga

One of the great climbs of Spanish cycling, first raced in 1983 and last seen in 2012: twelve kilometres up to the lakes above Covadonga, at the end of a short 151-kilometre stage that will be flat out from Oviedo. Alberto Contador leads Alejandro Valverde by 42 seconds and Chris Froome by 1:13. Peter Sagan and Nacer Bouhanni both climbed off yesterday. None of the favourites has won here.

How it was won

1. 135 km to go

   Hostilities open on the Puerto del Torno

   Nobody waits for Covadonga. The rain arrives, the temperature drops and the fog closes in, and Movistar bully their way to the front at the foot of the Torno. Within minutes the peloton is sixty riders, then fifty, then forty.

2. 229 km to go

   Castroviejo down the ravine

   The descent is streaming wet — even Samuel Sánchez is sliding his back wheel through the corners. Castroviejo fares far worse: the camera bike arrives to find his bike in the road and the rider halfway down a ravine. He gets to his feet, and still nobody eases.

3. 312 km to go

   Lagos de Covadonga

   The break starts the final climb with four minutes and the sorting begins immediately behind. Barguil attacks, then attacks again with real venom; Rodríguez posts Caruso out to mark him while Contador's teammates slide backwards.

4. 46 km to go

   Contador's first blow, 6.3km out

   The red jersey stamps on the pedals and is instantly covered by Rodríguez, Valverde and a battling Dan Martin. He goes again out of frustration — and up ahead, unnoticed, Przemysław Niemiec is riding away from the break's remains.

5. 55 km to go

   Froome on the yo-yo

   Fifteen seconds down, then back on, then adrift again: every surge costs the Sky leader ground he has to buy back on the flatter ramps. Barguil and Aru claw their way up to the leaders as the group reshuffles for a final time.

6. 63 km to go

   The elastic snaps

   Three kilometres to go, Contador accelerates once more with Rodríguez and Valverde in tow, and this time Froome cannot come back. He gets close as the road eases, but Rodríguez's late attack and the sprint for the line finish him off.

7. 7At the line

   Niemiec survives at the Lagos

   The Pole holds off the whole GC war behind him to win at Lagos de Covadonga, with Valverde second and Rodríguez third. Contador is fourth, and for once it is he who concedes seconds to his two Spanish rivals.

The result