Yosvans Rojas became the first rider to create significant time gaps in the Vuelta al Tachira when he won the summit finish on the fifth stage.

Rojas put 3 seconds into Jose Garcia while Jhorman Flores was 12 seconds behind in third after a big battle on the final climb that saw the peloton split to pieces. He now leads the race with a 7-second advantage over stage 2 winner Jose Mendoza while Jorge Abreu is 16 seconds behind in third.

The riders face another uphill finish in tomorrow’s sixth stage. The 10-stage race ends on Sunday.