Stage 16

The road

At the start

Salamanca instead of Viseu

Jasper Philipsen took his first Grand Tour stage after six and a quarter hours into a headwind, and three more riders abandoned on the way. Nothing changed above them: Roglič, Carapaz at 39 seconds, Carthy at 47. Today should have started in Portugal too, and starts in Salamanca instead — open, windy country early, then the Portillo and El Robledo before Ciudad Rodrigo.

How it was won

1. 142 km to go

   A tough break battles on

   Over the sharp climbs toward Ciudad Rodrigo the break trades attacks, a hard day that keeps the sprinters honest and the escape hopeful.

2. 214 km to go

   Attacks fly late

   In the finale the survivors of the break attack one another repeatedly, Magnus Cort marking every move with the finish in sight.

3. 3At the line

   Cort survives for the win

   Cort comes through a hectic sprint to win in Ciudad Rodrigo, a third stage of the race for EF and a reward for relentless aggression.

The result