Stage 18

The road

At the start

Flat to Lleida, and a tailwind

The Balcón de Bizkaia broke Nairo Quintana, who lost more than three minutes and sits sixth. Simon Yates holds red by 25 seconds from Alejandro Valverde, with Enric Mas up to third. Today is the flattest day left — 186 kilometres across Aragón into Catalonia to Lleida, barely a thousand metres of climbing in the whole thing, and a tailwind. The last easy afternoon before Andorra.

How it was won

1. 186 km to go

   Three men chance a heist

   Wallays, Bystrom and Bol escape after just 3km and, riding a brisk tailwind, refuse to be reeled in by the nervous sprinters' peloton.

2. 22 km to go

   Wallays plays it cool

   With the bunch closing, Wallays marshals Bystrom to the front inside 1,500m and bides his time on the Norwegian's wheel, waiting for the line.

3. 3At the line

   Wallays pulls off the heist

   Wallays outsprints Bystrom in Lleida just as a flying Sagan bears down on them — a remarkable breakaway win snatched from the fast men.

The result