Luxembourg’s Jempy Drucker claimed the biggest win of his career when he prevailed in Peniscola, outsprinting Germans Rudiger Selig and Niklas Arndt on a searing hot day on the Vuelta. The BMC rider perfectly timed his effort and held off Selig (Bora-Argon18) and Arndt (Giant-Alpecin), who took second and third place respectively. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) retained the overall leader’s red jersey ahead of Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Esteban Chaves.
They were 164 riders at the start on a hot and windy day. Six men – Davide Villella (Cannondale-Drapac), Mario Costa (Lampre-Merida), Silvan Dillier (BMC), Sven Erik Bystrom (Katusha), Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) and Julien Morice (Direct Energie) – broke away after four kilometres.
Simon Yates, fifth overall in GC, and his Orica-Bike Exchange team mate Sam Bewley crashed 53 kilometres into the stage but both were quickly back on their bike.
The leading group had a 2:42 advantage over the peloton, mostly led by sprinters’ teams, at the foot of the only climb of the day, the third-category Alto Castillo de Morella which Mate crested first but their gap never went beyond 3:35.
The peloton split in two 56 kilometres from the line but reformed three kilometres further after some work by Trek-Segafredo.
Dillier attacked with 17.5 kilometres left just ahead of the intermediate sprint and he was followed by Bystrom and Mate as the other three were swallowed by the Tinkoff-led peloton. With 12 kilometres remaining all riders were together and Giant-Alpecin and Dimension Data took over at the front looking to set up the bunch sprint for Nikias Arndt and Kristian Sbaragli.
Daniele Bennatti (Tinkoff), however, jumped away with three kilometres left and he was caught less than 500 metres from the line. Drucker was then the strongest, benefiting from the slipstream of Gianni Meersman (Etixx-Quick Step) who started his effort a bit too soon.
Here are onboard highlights from the stage:
