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2016 Vuelta a España Stage 9: De La Cruz takes the flowers, race lead

First Spanish stage win puts De La Cruz in red

David De La Cruz (Etixx-QuickStep) joined the ranks of riders who have taken the biggest win of their careers at the 2016 Vuelta a España. He’s the first Spaniard to win a stage of the 71st edition and also takes over the red jersey from Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar).

It was another mountainous day, with five Cat. 3 and Cat. 2 climbs, including the Cat. 2 haul up the Alto del Naranco.


On a good day to roll up some KOM points, it was no wonder that Thomas De Gendt (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) was in the breakaway. He and eleven others skipped away after a few attempts failed to gel. After an hour of racing, the escapees had 5:00 over the peloton.

De Gendt wasn’t going to have it all his way, as Alexandre Geniez (France/FDJ), Stage 3 winner and polka dot jersey holder until Saturday, was also among the fugitives. Their first tussle would be on the Cat. 2 Puerto de San Isidro before a 50-km descent.

De Gendt prevailed on San Isidro, with Geniez second, tying them on points, both overleaping Saturday’s winner Sergey Lagutin (Russia/Katusha). The first third of the descent was cold and foggy.

The break’s gap increased slightly on the downhill and at the first of three consecutive Cat. 3’s (and one oddly uncategorized) climb, De Gendt bolted, putting himself in the blue polka dots on the road. Next came the Alto de San Tirso, again De Gendt’s to conquer.

Movistar, aware of fugitive David De La Cruz’s threat to the red jersey, began to pick up the pace between the San Tirso and the Alto de la Manzaneda, 3.6-kms of 6.9% gradient. This prompted De Gendt to flash away with Geniez and Simon Clarke (Australia/Cannondale-Drapac). The group reformed and split several times. Geniez took the max KOM points on Manzeneda.

All the action put the breakaway 4:30 ahead of the peloton with only 14-km and the Naranco (5.7-km of 6.1%) to go. Dries Devenyns (Belgium/IAM) and De La Cruz attacked leading up to the foot. De La Cruz (+2:40 to Quintana) was looking more likely to pull on the red jersey no matter who won the stage. At the red kite, the duo was 35-seconds ahead of De Gendt et al.

De La Cruz put in the decisive dig with 500-metres to go to take the spoils by a wide margin, Devenyns having trouble with his gears. The Spaniard’s triumph gives Etixx 45-wins on the season, including eight Grand Tour victories.

The last stage before the first rest day, Monday ends on the fearsome Lagos de Covadonga.

2016 Vuelta a España Stage 9
1) David De La Cruz (Etixx-QuickStep) 3:47:56
2) Dries Devenyns (Belgium/IAM) +0:27
3) Moreno Moser (Italy/Cannondale-Drapac) +0:33

2016 Vuelta a España GC
1) David De La Cruz (Etixx-QuickStep) 33:46:24
2) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +0:22
3) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +0:41