Stage 6

The road

At the start

The first summit finish, at La Zubia

The first uphill finish of this Vuelta, and a short one: six kilometres to Cumbres Verdes above La Zubia with ramps of thirteen per cent, on a climb the race has never used. Michael Matthews still leads, by thirteen seconds from Nairo Quintana. The question everyone wants answered is Alberto Contador, ten weeks after breaking his leg at the Tour, and whether he can follow when the road goes up.

How it was won

1. 190 km to go

   Fourteen minutes, and falling

   Ligthart and Mas Bonet were allowed more than fourteen minutes while the peloton dozed. On the Zafarraya, with Garmin finally working, the Caja Rural man takes the points and the cushion drops under ten.

2. 251 km to go

   Still nine minutes

   Mas Bonet takes maximum points again and the two leaders crest with nearly nine minutes and 55km to ride. It looks, for a while, like a stage the break simply keeps.

3. 324 km to go

   The peloton wakes up

   With 24km left it is still five minutes, and now Katusha and Movistar put men on the front. The pursuit turns heated and the gap begins to fall off a cliff.

4. 43 km to go

   Three kilometres from glory

   Ligthart makes one last effort on the four-kilometre climb to La Zubia and Le Mével sweeps past him with the whole peloton on his wheel. Nine hours of work end three kilometres short.

5. 51 km to go

   Rodríguez at 700 metres

   The pre-stage favourite goes exactly where he always goes, and for a moment the little Catalan has it. Froome answers, Valverde answers — and so, to everyone's surprise, does Contador.

6. 6At the line

   Valverde takes back the red

   Inside 200 metres the Movistar rider surges, and neither Froome nor Contador can match the acceleration though both finish on his wheel. The first summit finish of the Vuelta goes to the local hero, 15 seconds up on Quintana and 18 on Contador.

The result