Stage 9

The road

At the start

Valdelinares, the longest climb yet

The Vuelta's first proper mountain finish: eleven steady kilometres up to the ski station at Valdelinares, longer than anything the race has climbed so far, and only the second time it has been used since Roberto Heras won here in 2005. Alejandro Valverde holds red by fifteen seconds from Nairo Quintana, eighteen from Alberto Contador and twenty from Chris Froome. Long enough, at last, to separate them.

How it was won

1. 161 km to go

   Thirty-one men up the road

   Cousin leads Mas Bonet over the Cabigordo with the huge break 8:30 clear — and among them, 2:50 down on GC, Winner Anacona is the leader on the road.

2. 225 km to go

   Anacona, Jungels and Moreno

   Attack and counter-attack whittle the break down to three. Movistar's Moreno marks the move for his leaders and refuses to work until the foot of the final climb, when it becomes obvious one of them will win the stage.

3. 313 km to go

   Tony Martin sets the fuse

   The world time trial champion drags the red jersey group onto the last climb at a ferocious pace for Rigoberto Urán, the break's lead tumbling towards four minutes, before Sky take over.

4. 42 km to go

   Contador goes at 2km

   Roche's attack has already stretched the line with Froome sitting dangerously near the back. Contador senses it and digs — and Froome and Valverde are both left standing on the wet slopes of Valdelinares.

5. 5At the line

   Anacona wins, Quintana takes red

   Colombia takes both prizes at the rain-soaked summit: Anacona celebrating the biggest win of his life while, in the same minute, his compatriot Nairo Quintana takes the leader's jersey off his own teammate Valverde.

The result