Vuelta a Espana stage 6 Live - First mountaintop finish

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Category-1 Pico Jano summit finish to shape red jersey battle

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Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 6 of the Vuelta a España

We've had a couple of hilly stages in the Basque Country but things start to get serious now with the first summit finish of the Vuelta. Roglič won on a kicker in Laguardia but this is another beast. While stiffer tests await in the second week, the category-1 and all-new ascent of Pico Jana in Cantabria will provide the first real climbing test of the race, and start to give some more clues and more shape in the battle for the red jersey. 

The riders have all signed on for the stage and are gathering on the start line. Just five minutes away from the roll-out, with the official start a further 20 minutes away.

Today's start is at the Sam Mamés football stadium in Bilbao, home to Athletic Club de Bilbao. 

Before we get going, why not catch up on yesterday's action? There was a breakaway thriller and the red jersey changed hands. Report, results, and photos all in here:

We're on the move. A slightly delayed roll-out but the riders are now heading towards kilometre-zero.

Here's a first peek at the final climb. You won't have seen it before, because it's not been used in a professional race before. 6.5% is a modest average gradient but you have two pretty flat kilometres in the middle, with some pretty serious stuff either side. 

It's not all about the summit finish today. The Pico Jana is in fact preceded in fairly short order by another cat-1 climb, the Collada de Brenes, which is steeper still - 6.8km at 8.2%

For all you could possibly want to know about today's climbs, here's the trusty Alasdair Fotheringham. 

We're off

Mikel Iturria (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is the first attacker, but he doesn't get far. 

It's another rapid start.

We've got a 10-man move going clear and this looks promising.

Yes, the peloton are letting this go after almost 20km of racing. 

In the breakaway are:

Breakaway analysis 

150km to go

Here's a first shot of the breakaway

The riders have just tackled a short uncategorised climb but the proper climbing begins with the cat-2 Puerto de Alisas, just after we cross from the Basque Country into Cantabria with 110km remaining. 

The gap extends to 4:45. We're around 15km from the foot of the first climb of the day.

Big news coming out ahead of the World Championships is that Caleb Ewan hasn't been selected for Australia. The final line-up is currently subject to two appeals. 

There was one non-starter today and that was Jan Hirt (Intermarché), who tested positive for COVID-19. After a few pre-race withdrawals, Hirt is the second rider to leave the Vuelta with COVID after Dan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo) yesterday.

114km to go

The Puerto de Alisas is 8.7km long at an average gradient of 5.8%.

Here's the map. We're heading west along Spain's north coast before turning inland into hillier terrain and our final ascent of Pico Jana.

The breakaway hit the climb and take their lead beyond the five-minute mark, making Bakelants the virtual leader of the Vuelta.

The gap stretches out towards the six-minute mark on the Puerto de Alisas.

At the top of the Puerto de Alisas, Ruben Fernandez is first to the line, ahead of Cataldo and Azparren.

A descent now and then 50km before we hit the big final two climbs.

It's a dark and cloudy afternoon in Cantabria and we've had the first drops of rain.

The peloton pass over the Alisas at an arrears of five minutes. FDJ have been controlling so far but we could see GC teams start to come to the fore in the valley as we approach the first of the two cat-1 climbs. 

92km to go

Here's a bit more on the red jersey. 

QuickStep-AlphaVinyl send a rider to the front of the peloton to help set pace. The team have a rider in the break. 

It's Remi Cavagna who has been sent to the front for QuickStep, now riding ahead of four FDJ riders. 

The gap comes down to 4:30, and QuickStep, despite having a rider in the break, seem keen to kill its chances today, Evenepoel possibly sensing an opportunity. 

A steadily drizzle has wettened the roads and the riders. The skies are so grim today. 

74km to go

And now Cavagna appears to knock off his effort. Odd.

Ah, Evenepoel has had a mechanical. That's why. The young Belgian gets sorted back at the car and is on his way back to the bunch with a teammate. 

Evenepoel is back in with a minimum of fuss but the rain is coming down harder now. This could make for an interesting descent between the two cat-1 climbs. It might actually deter any vague thoughts of aggression on the first of them.

Evenepoel's mechanical has seen the gap go back out to 4:50. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) is also back in the cars now.

65km to go

The breakaway hit the uncategorised bump you should be able to see in the stage profile at the top of your page. It's a sapper but it's just an appetiser for the real climbing to come. 

The peloton hits the climb and there's a bunching up. Luke Plapp hits the front on the right to keep his Ineos teammates in position. 

Over that short climb and the gap has fallen back down to 4:30. 

50km to go

Ineos have started to make a concerted push at the head of the bunch now. They are fully in command.

The gap falls to three minutes now as Plapp leads the way for Ineos. 

Crash. Cataldo has crashed out of the breakaway, slipping out on a wet corner. 

Another crash! Same corner as Cataldo!

The peloton hit that same bend and several riders go down. One from Israel has stayed down and looks (or sounds) in a great deal of pain. 

It's Carl Fredrik Hagen for Israel and he lays stricken. The Norwegian made his breakthrough at this race a few years ago but this looks like Vuelta over for him. 

Gregor Muhlberger was shouting even louder, though in frustration. He has crashed on almost every stage so far at this Vuelta. 

The peloton has been disrupted by that crash and it looks like a sizeable split.

Not many riders left in the front peloton after that crash. Maybe 15 riders. 

Ben Turner continues to drive it on for Ineos, while the main bunch - where Molard sits - scrambles to get back ahead of the Collada de Brenes

That second peloton is coming back, just in time. 

Roglic was safely up front, as was Evenepoel, and now his teammate Alaphilippe comes through ahead of Ineos to keep the pace high. 

41km to go

The breakaway quickly breaks up and Padun goes on the attack

Alaphilippe leads the peloton at 1:45. A peloton where a number of riders started this steep climb very much on the back foot. 

Padun sails clear of the rest of the break. He has had a largely anonymous season, and of course there has been the significant difficulty of the war unfolding in his native Ukraine, but he could be on his way back here. He looks really strong and really fast. 

Padun has opened a lead of 37 seconds, with Masnada the next rider on the road from the break. Wow. The EF rider has put the peloton back to two minutes, having started the climb 1:40 ahead. 

QuickStep continue to set the pace with three riders at the head of the thinning bunch. 

Masnada has been joined by Fernandez, and now dropped by him. 

Padun is flying. He won back-to-back stages at last year's Dauphiné and has shown other flashes of world class form but is a really inconsistent rider. He looks like he's on one of his good days here. 

There were some riders and teams who anonymously voiced suspicions of doping at last year's Dauphiné, which seemed to be grasped upon when Padun wasn't selected by Bahrain Victorious for the Tour de France and not given a new contract. It's something EF boss Jonathan Vaughters opened up about when we spoke to him over the winter, discussing how he made sure he was signing a clean rider, and why he feels Padun has massive untapped potential. 

Padun is into the final kilometre of the Collada de Brenes and he has put his closest chaser, now Fernandez, back to 55 seconds. The peloton is now at 2:10

Molard dropped. The red jersey has lost contact with the Alaphilippe-led bunch. 

Alaphilippe is still on the front for QuickStep. They're gaining on all the breakaway riders, but not Padun. 

35km to go

Fernandez and Masnada are the only riders left in the chase from the break as the peloton crest at 2 minutes down. 

The descent is soaking wet, and it's treacherous, with a number of technical and blind bends. He's nursing the bike at the moment. 

Bahrain take over in the bunch for the descent.

I'm not sure if Fred Wright got over that climb in the bunch. If so, with Molard dropped, he could ride into the red jersey. Otherwise Bahrain are just riding to keep Landa safe. 

Masnada catches and passes Fernandez, who is not a strong descender. 

28km to go

Alaphilippe takes back over from Bahrain and flies out in front, casually flicking his bike round a corner on sodden roads. 

Masnada continues to gain. 25 seconds now and Padun can't wait for this descent to end, which it is now. 

Padun is on the flat now as he heads into the final 25km. We have 10km in the valley - some of it uphill - before we start the final ascent. 

Alaphilippe leads the peloton through the valley and the rain is hammering it down now. Everyone got down safe, though.

Padun gains some time on the flight. 30 seconds now over Masnada. The Ukrainian is clearly strong, but his hopes have taken a huge blow on that descent. 

Padun has a minute in hand. He still has a slim, slim chance, but even with the way he's been climbing, this stretch in the valley is going to really hurt him, while the GC contenders will be fresh when they open the taps on the final climb. 

Alaphilippe continues to lead the peloton. Evenepoel surely will try something after all this work. 

Ineos have taken a back seat since the Bernes, but they've also been prominent. The interesting thing is that the pre-race leader, Richard Carapaz, lost some seconds on the first uphill finish a couple of days ago, while Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart were up front. The Ecuadorian remains their number one card, but it will be interesting to see how they play the other two. 

Meanwhile Jumbo have been quiet after handing over the red jersey. 

Molard is still chasing with four teammates now. He's not far behind the cars at the back of the peloton. 

19km to go

The final climb will likely be new to you, unless you're a really committed cycling nerd or Cantabrian connoisseur. That's because it's never been used in a pro race before. Here's Alasdair Fotheringham (with the help of Mikel Bizkarra) with all you need to know about it. 

The peloton catch Masnada and Fernandez. The Cofidis rider slips back into anonymity but Masnada is put straight to work on this QuickStep train. 

The reduced peloton chugs along 50 seconds behind Padun with 15km to go and just under 3km to the foot of the Pico Jano.

Here's what the climb looks like. Steep for 6km, flat for 2km, then fairly hard again at the top. 

Alaphilippe is still on the front for QuickStep and is surely just taking this onto the climb before handing over. 

A short dip down to the foot of the climb, and Padun almost comes unstuck on a corner!

12km to go

The peloton hit the climb 55 seconds down and Alaphilippe pulls aside and almost comes to a standstill. A great shift from the world champ. 

Here was Padun on the previous climb. 

Molard got himself back in the bunch in the nick of time but it's going to split open again soon. 

Masnada takes over from Alaphilippe. But he was in the break and already climbing slower than Padun.

And the gap duly goes up! Padun moves out to 1:05.

Evenepoel is posed in second wheel. Masnada is his final teammate. 

Will Evenepoel go from range? Masnada is grimacing and doesn't have much left. What will QuickStep's leader do here. He might have expected to be taken further up. 

Attacks! The pace is slow, so Padun pulls out to 1:10 and now riders are attacking from the bunch. 

A rider apiece from Cofidis and Arkea are on the move. 

It's Elie Gesbert for Arkea and Davide Villella for Cofidis. Jay Vine (Alpecin) sets off in pursuit now. 

More go now! QuickStep have looked to control and set things up but they've lost all control. They can't ride fast enough here and Masnada is done now! Evenepoel is isolated. 

9.5km to the top and Padun has 1:15 in hand. Wow. 

Meintjes hits the front of the bunch. It's calm. 

But Simon Yates attacks now!!

This is the first big attack from a favourite at this Vuelta. Responses have to come. 

Geoghegan Hart goes after it!

It looks like O'Connor is there, plus we can see Sivakov coming through the mist behind as well. 

Roglic is there as the favourites come up to Yates.

Landa dropped!

He was whispering about not going for GC but it seems real. Landa is way off it.

Evenepoel accelerates!

They breeze past the earlier attackers as the young Belgian looks to keep the GC battle open. 

Roglic is right on it. 

8.5km to to the top and Vine is the last interloper, 40 seconds behind Padun, with the GC group at 1 minute. 

Evenepoel continues to set the pace on the front, and doesn't seem to mind. 

Mas and O'Connor are up there with Roglic. Sivakov is looking good but we can't see Carapaz at the moment. 

Evenepoel is splitting this GC group! He's riding riders off the wheel! Six left!

Roglic, Mas, Sivakov, O'Connor, Yates, Hindley..

Carapaz is well dropped and with Sepp Kuss. 

Yates loses contact!

Only Sivakov, Mas, and Roglic can follow Evenepoel!

And now Roglic and Sivakov are dropping!

Incredible. 

Mas is the only rider left in Evenepoel's wheel. This has been an elimination one by one from the young Belgian. Remarkable. 

Is Evenepoel a Grand Tour rider? It's the big question of this Vuelta and it won't be answered until Madrid but this is looking like a big first statement. 

7km to go

Evenepoel looks around and sees if Mas wants to come through. The answer is a predictable no. 

Vine catches Padun 6.6km from the summit.

And Vine immediately drops him. Vine alone in the lead but Evenepoel advancing quickly. 

Juan Ayuso attacks behind! The Spanish super talent rides away from Roglic et al.

6km to go

Ayuso has left Sivakov, Yates, Roglic for dead. What a ride this could be. The UAE Team Emirates rider is one of the big talents in pro cycling but his time could be now. He's 19!!!

They're dealing with the flatter section and the skies are so closed-in and grey, and spray is being kicked up by every wheel. 

Mas hangs with Evenepoel, a dream scenario for him. They're 20 seconds ahead of Aysuo. 

A regrouping behind. Yates, Roglic, Sivakov, O'Connor, Rodriguez, Kelderman, Lopez, Higuita all together. 

No Hindley, no Carapaz.

3.5km to go and Vine is on one.... He has 25 seconds over Evenepoel and Mas. Ayuso is at 43 seconds.

Sivakov attacks from the main GC group. Geoghegan Hart is there too. 

Gino Mader is also there for Bahrain but they're losing 40 seconds to Evenepoel and Mas as it stands.

Evenepoel and Mas close to 20 seconds. Will Mas finally offer up a turn?

If Mas isn't suffering too much in the wheel then he could think about hitting out for the stage win at the last, but they have to catch Vine first!

2.5km to go

Roglic is forced to lead the chase group. Hindley is in the wheel, present and correct after all.

Vine heads into the final 2km. He wants to win his first race. He only became a pro cyclist after winning a video game... it would be a remarkable story. 

Vine is matching Evenepoel, matching Mas, matching Ayuso, matching Roglic and the rest. Time gaps are stable with 1700m to go and this is quite a ride

Almeida is back with the GC group, Thymen Arensman too.

Ayuso is fading! 48 seconds now after a flying attack. 

Evenepoel and Mas are at 18 seconds with 1300 metres to go and it looks like Vine might hold on!

20 seconds now!

1km to go

Ayuso is suffering. He's at 55 seconds and if he returns to the GC group we'll get a definitive time gap. 

Roglic still on the front of the GC group. 

600 metres to go for Vine and he still has 20 seconds. 

Vine's going to take the stage but Evenepoel is going to make a statement and Mas is going to gain. What will the damage be? We'll count them across the line. 

Vine springs from the saddle! He still has something left. He's going to do it 

Vine, enshrouded in mist, comes to the finish. We can barely see him. The photos of his first pro victory won't amount to much, but the memories will endure. What a moment. 

Vine wins it!

Evenepoel sprints and takes second place at 15 seconds, Mas third one or two seconds behind in the end.

Here comes Ayuso. He's staying ahead of the main GC group.... 56 seconds down. 

Roglic and the rest are going to lose around 90 seconds to Evenepoel and Mas.

They cross the line 1:35 down, so a deficit of 1:10 to Evenepoel, who also took six bonus seconds for second place. 

We'll await official confirmation, with Molard still to finish, but it looks like Evenepoel has taken the overall lead. 

What a stage!

Results

Let's hear from the winner, who became a pro cyclist in 2021 after winning the Zwift Academy, which is basically indoor cycling X-Factor. 

The finish line photos are delayed given the conditions at the top of the mountain but here was Vine a little further down it 

And here's the days' main GC winner, and new overall leader, Remco Evenepoel, on the charge.

Let's delve into the GC damage...

What that all means is...

Finally, a winner's photo. Hang that on your wall, Jay Vine, or don't...

Reaction from Roglic

And here's the run-down of the overall standings

Evenepoel in red

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