"For the heat, this made the day tougher. The stage wasn't as easy as it seemed."

Those were the words of Luis Leon Sanchez after stage six at the Vuelta a España. Sanchez finished just behind the leading group on Thursday after a final 4km that climbed a steep village road in the Spanish countryside.

Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa remain within one minute of race leader Esteban Chaves of Colombia after a long and mostly flat day of extreme heat and only moderate wind.

"Today's stage was good for the public," Landa said. "We wanted to slow down the group a bit. We wanted to try with Luis Leon Sanchez because he has been riding very well these days. Unfortunately we did not know perfectly the final and it was a bit too hard.

"Tomorrow completely changes the script of theVuelta. It is a stage more suitable for GC riders and we will find out who will be fighting for the general classification."

"A tough stage," Aru said. "It was quite hot and we also rode fast. The sensations will get better every day after the crash. I am confident of being well for the next stage. "