Stage 14

The road

How it was won

1. 197 km to go

   De Marchi's break, at the third attempt

   He attacked three times in the first hour before it stuck. Over the Estacas de Trueba, De Marchi, Puccio, Rojas, Chérel and Quintero have eight minutes and no intention of giving any of it back.

2. 257 km to go

   Ten minutes over the Escudo

   Even a first-category climb cannot break the harmony up front. Movistar, Katusha and Astana let it go — the stage is the break's, and they are saving everything for the last climb.

3. 315 km to go

   Astana isolate the Dutchman

   Luis León Sánchez's surge on the lower slopes of Alto Campoo is the foundation of the whole plan: the bunch drops under forty riders and Tom Dumoulin is left without teammates.

4. 47 km to go

   Aru attacks, Quintana counters

   Cataldo tires and Aru goes, telegraphed and still impressive; only Majka and Quintana can follow. Then Majka drifts, and a recovered Quintana — supposedly finished by illness two days ago — uses the climb's one steep pitch to drop the race leader.

5. 5At the line

   De Marchi decides it with power

   Chérel jumps and is caught; Rojas counters with Puccio and is used as a marker. When Alessandro De Marchi finally accelerates for himself with two kilometres left it is simply decisive, and BMC have another Vuelta stage.

The result