Michael Storer (Team DSM) claimed a solo victory on stage 7 of the Vuelta a España at the summit of Balcón de Alicante.
Storer was part of an original 29-rider breakaway but went clear his companions over the penultimate climb and then powered over the finish line 21 seconds ahead of Carlos Verona (Movistar) and 59 seconds ahead of Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) after a battle on the steep upper slopes of the final ascent.
In a heated battle between the overall classification riders behind, Primož Roglič finished with a group 3:33 behind the stage winner. He held on to the red leader's jersey and now leads with 8 seconds over runner-up Felix Grossschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe) and 25 seconds over Enric Mas (Movistar Team).
Stage 7 at the Vuelta a España was the first big mountain stage at 152km between Gandía and the summit of Balcón de Alicante. The day also included six categorised ascents.
Two early contenders for the overall classification were forced to abandon the Vuelta a España with Hugh Carthy (EF Education-Nippo) pulling out of the race and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) crashing inside 40km on the Puerto El Colloa.
