Stage 17

The road

At the start

Basque walls to the Balcón de Bizkaia

The time trial moved less than expected: Simon Yates still leads, 33 seconds up on Alejandro Valverde, with Steven Kruijswijk now third and Nairo Quintana slipping to fourth. Rohan Dennis, who won it, has left the race. Today is 157 kilometres of Basque country out of Getxo, five categorised climbs, and a finish up the Balcón de Bizkaia whose last two kilometres touch eighteen per cent.

How it was won

1. 1141 km to go

   The break forms on the Arboleda

   A flurry of attacks on the day's opening climb, the Alto de la Arboleda, sends a 26-man break clear with Nibali and Woods aboard.

2. 25 km to go

   Valverde cracks Quintana

   Midway up the fearsome final climb Valverde launches a rasping attack; Simon Yates takes up the stinging pace behind, and Nairo Quintana loses contact — his Vuelta unravelling.

3. 32 km to go

   López stretches the gap

   An attack from López inside the final 2km, where the road narrows to 18 per cent, stretches the elastic further as Quintana slips away.

4. 4At the line

   Woods wins in the mist

   Michael Woods emerges from the mist to edge Teuns atop Balcón de Bizkaia; behind, Quintana loses over three minutes and his overall hopes with it.

The result