Stage 14

The road

At the start

Up a mountain the Vuelta has never used

The third weekend opens on the Pico Villuercas, new to this race and taken from both sides: first the concrete wall of the Collado de Ballesteros, three kilometres with a middle at fifteen per cent, then a loop through Guadalupe and the long southern flank to the summit finish. Eiking has had red for four days and still holds Roglič at 1:56.

How it was won

1. 168 km to go

   Bardet takes the polka dots

   First over the summit for the second climb running, ten more points, and the mountains jersey passes from Caruso to the Frenchman. He then waits for his companions and they descend together.

2. 250 km to go

   The break turns on itself

   Fifty kilometres out the eighteen-man alliance ends on a series of short climbs. Holmes goes, punctures, and drops back; Prodhomme and Navarro press on. Navarro and Vanmarcke crash out on a curve as the rest come back together.

3. 312 km to go

   Bardet sets off after him

   Prodhomme has a minute as the 14.7km haul up the Pico Villuercas begins. Twelve kilometres from the summit Bardet goes after him alone — a rider who has spent this whole Vuelta hunting a stage and keeps finding someone else in the way.

4. 46 km to go

   Caught with six to go

   Bardet reels in Zeits and then Prodhomme together, goes straight past both without a glance back, and rides the last six kilometres alone.

5. 53 km to go

   Roglič shuts the door

   Behind, Cofidis have tried and failed to shake Eiking out of red. Ciccone attacks and is closed down; then López gets a gap with three kilometres left, and Roglič surges straight after him.

6. 6At the line

   Pico Villuercas

   Bardet finally gets his Vuelta stage, alone at the top of Extremadura.

The result