Smart climb to Lagos de Covadonga

The mythical ascent to Lagos de Covadonga gave us the best stage of this Tour of Spain so far. Nairo Quintana recovered the leader’s red jersey after a show of strength in the toughest ramps of this historic port. The colombian reached alone the finish line and achieved his first victory in the spanish round.

Valverde proved again his enormous capacity and intelligence marking his own rhythm throughout the climb. He knew he could not respond to the first attack, so he took advantage of the help of his partner Rubén Fernández, then he followed Froome when the british reached him and finally ended up sprinting to save a brilliant second place in the overall. Furthermore, Alejandro leads the green jersey before a a well-deserved rest day.

Quotes: “Im very happy. We have won the stage and I have been very close to Froome. I’m surprised. It is my third Grand Tour, we have had ten very tough stages but I’m still ahead. I am enjoying the bike, we are giving a great show and I hope everything stays that way. I knew Froome came very fast. I was saving energies to fight him. I was caught but I’ve resisted very well”.

Photo: Movistar Team