It was a stage victory for Chris Froome who also took the leadership position following his attack at the end of the final climb in the final mountain stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA did well with Hugh Carthy present in the day’s escape. Pello Bilbao scored points towards the King of the Mountain classification at the beginning of the race, however, despite this, Froome eventually took the jersey by just 1 point. Sergio Pardilla was once again among the best riders and is now 10th in the general classification after crossing the finish line in 12th place.

After the stage, Sergio Pardilla stated that it was a “tough stage due to the day’s weather. We fought to get into the escape and for the mountains jersey with Pello, but it was not to be. Finally it was Carthy who managed to escape and represent us. I was able to stick with the group up until the last two kilometres but that’s where I had to back off a little and find my own rhythm in order to minimise the time loss as much as possible”. 

Volta Algarve
In the Volta ao Algarve, it was a stage victory for Porte while Thomas defended the lead. The Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team was off to a good start but Ricardo Vilela got a flat tyre at the crucial moment, which put an end to any opportunities for the team.

“We were well-positioned, but Vilela got a flat tyre, the team waited for him and we were unable to reach the others afterwards, it’s a shame because he was doing very well” said Josemi Fernández, the team’s director.