Today’s stage was a 225 kilometers long from Andorra to the Cat-1 climb of Peyragudes. Some sections covered by rain and cold, though not as intense as yesterday's hellish stage to La Gallina, configured the Queen stage of the 2013 Vuelta a España, which would ultimately cause no changes in the general classification.

The Peyresourde witness a flurry of attacks by the top guns, with Nibali, Horner, Rodríguez, Pinot and Alejandro Valverde. Valverde brought his best legs to the force again after a tremendous effort by the Spaniard on Saturday. The Movistar Team's leader even tried to accelerate halfway through the climb, quickly responded by Nibali.

The race leader controlled his rivals all the way to the top and even brought the group with him, three minutes and nineteen seconds behind the day's winner Alexandre Geniez (FDJ). Herrada drove the pace into the second group after the breakaway became split in the penultimate climb, with Geniez and Portuguese André Cardoso (CJR) at the front.

The second rest day of the Vuelta will be preceeded by the last Pyrenean stage on Monday, a short (147km), yet intense day with the climbs of Foradada (Cat-3) and Cotefablo (Cat-2) preceeding the Alto de Formigal (Cat-1; 15.8km at 4%). Valverde will depart from Graus in the green jersey, sitting in 3rd overall at 1.42.

"I was feeling good, but looking at the rivals, they weren't doing badly either. We tried to accelerate at the Peyresourde, but it was really difficult. They were really strong and it wasn't easy to drop them. I was doing great, not bad at all. There's still a long way to go in this Vuelta, and despite all favourites being so close to each other, we will try to profit from every chance we have. It was a better day in terms of weather today.”

“We got better clothes to resist and the bad moments were not as hard as yesterday's. Still, the big problem yesterday was spending so many days above 30ºC, even close to 40ºC at the climb on Friday's stage, then shifting to four or five degrees on top of the Envalira on Saturday. We might have not brought the best clothes for that descent, but the change was brutal. I'm happy with this podium, but we won't surrender. If there's a chance, we will go for it."