Stage 10

The road

At the start

Covadonga, and a Spaniard in red

David de la Cruz won on the Naranco at home and took the red jersey with it — twenty-two seconds ahead of Quintana, forty-one on Valverde, forty-nine on Froome. Today is the day that decides whether he keeps it: 188 kilometres to the Lagos de Covadonga, sea level to 1,110 metres, with the Mirador del Fito on the way in and a rest day waiting afterwards.

How it was won

1. 1168 km to go

   A nasty crash after twenty kilometres

   Several riders go down early: Bartosz Huzarski abandons with a suspected broken collarbone, and Markel Irizar leaves the race with bad facial injuries alongside Kevin Reza.

2. 240 km to go

   Fraile takes the blue back

   The category 1 Mirador del Fito splinters the break and Maté and Fraile slug it out for maximum points. The 2015 mountains winner has one more attack in his legs and crests first to reclaim the polka dots.

3. 333 km to go

   Dombrowski down on the descent

   The plunge off the Fito is as testing as the climb, with the riders wary of both the curves and the motorbikes. Joe Dombrowski crashes at speed, gets up and chases back on as the escape reforms.

4. 410 km to go

   The break explodes on Covadonga

   The gradient bites on the twelve-kilometre climb to the Lagos. Vervaeke goes first and is caught; Gesink and Rolland duel; the lanky Dutchman gets the better of it and rides clear.

5. 55 km to go

   Contador lights it, Quintana answers

   Five kilometres from the summit Contador jumps hard. Quintana is instantly there — and then goes past him, distancing every rival, with only Scarponi even trying to follow.

6. 6At the line

   Quintana wins at the Lagos

   Behind, Froome — who has spent much of the climb talking to his car and riding his own tempo — suddenly lifts his cadence and devours Chaves, Yates, Valverde, Contador and the remnants of the break. He catches Gesink; Quintana, for today, is out of reach, and rides into red.

The result