Chris Froome is the new leader of the 2017 Vuelta a España on a day when Vincenzo Nibali of Bahrain Merida took the win on the third stage.
Stage Three took the riders into the Pyrenees and in Andorra on a 158.5km stage from Prades to Andorra la Vella with Yves Lampaert of Quick Step in the leader’s jersey and Nicholas Roche in the KOM jersey.
In a stage where Dimension Data’s Ben King did not start due to illness, Fabricio Ferrari (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) attacked not long after the flag dropped and was joined by Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Davide Villella (Cannonda-Drapac) and Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) and then Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale), Alexandre Geniez (AG2R La Mondiale) and Fernando Orjuela (Manzana Postobon) in a break which was able to get 3.44 clear of the peloton.
Thomas De Gendt was first over the Category One Col de la Perche with the peloton going over the top some 3.50 later.
Into Spain and onto the Category One Coll de la Rabassa with its average gradients of 6.8% and the break was down to three riders in Villella, Geniez and Ferrari with a lead of 2.17.
The gap came right down and UAE-Emirates duo Darwin Atapuma and Rui Costa attacked out of the peloton to try and get to Villella and Geniez who went over the top with a fifteen second lead before they were caught on the descent with more than twenty-five kilometres to go.
Chris Froome came up got some sprint seconds with 12.3kms left as the riders started on the final climb the 8.6% Alto de la Comella.
With 7.9kms, Froome attacked followed by Chaves and got 1.17 ahead of the race leader.
Froome tried to get away from Esteban Chaves but his quartet were group by the chasing group and Bahrain Merida’s Vincenzo Nibali took the win in 4.01.22 ahead of De La Cruz, Froome, Bardet and Chaves.
Chris Froome is now the race leader.
Kev Monks for Digital Sports Group
Source: DSG
