La Vuelta

Vuelta photos: Winning breakaways, brutal climbs

The first 10 stages of the Vuelta saw plenty of tough climbs to challenge the overall contenders. But the breakaways enjoyed Spanish success as well.

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Photo: BrakeThrough Media
2016
The Movistar team, led by Nairo Quintana, arrived for the Vuelta a España in top form, seeking the top step on the podium in Madrid. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Team Sky blazed across the opening kilometers of the team time trial to take victory by less than one second. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Team Sky took the inaugural podium of the 2016 Vuelta a España on a floating dock along the Rio Miño outside of Ourense. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The finish in Baiona brought the riders to the popular seaside resort town in Galicia. Photo: ASO / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Gianni Meersman took the victory on stage 2, despite the mad dash to the line that involved a crash inside the last 200 meters. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The opening road stage in Galicia was filled with lots of small villages along the course. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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The Etixx – Quick-Step squad was all cheers and smiles as Meersman proved the fastest to the line in Baiona. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Race favorite Alberto Contador showed his form was questionable as he was dropped by his main rivals on the steep finish of Ezaro. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The peloton raced by this small fishing village on the waterfront while local fishermen dug for clams in the low tides. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Alexandre Geniez survived the day’s ecape and the brutal Mirador del Ezaro to take the stage win away from the pure climbers. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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The effort of the all-day escape was written on the face of Pieter Serry who fell to the ground immediately after the line. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The languid approach to the finale at Mirador del Ezaro is dead flat and essentially gives the riders the feeling of riding straight into a wall as the Ezaro tops out at 30 percent. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
At 30 percent in the last few hundred meters, the riders were pushing the watts and their gearing to the limit. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The climb to the summit at Mirador Vixia de Herbeira gave the feeling the riders were on the edge of the world with dramatic views all around. Lilian Calmejane of Direct Energie was the second rider in as many days to take the win after being in the major break of the day. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Ruben Fernandez was the race leader for only a day as the climb to Mirador Vixia de Herbeira got the better of the young Spaniard. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Nairo Quintana has been composed and relaxed throughout the Vuelta so far. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Young fans at the Vuelta were hanging on the edge of the barriers to get a glimpse of or an autograph from their favorite riders. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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It can rain even in Spain, and stage 5 along the coast of Galicia got a lashing before the race turned back inland. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Meersman sprinted to his second stage victory, clearly pulling ahead of his rivals at 150 meters to go. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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With Quintana, Chavez, and Atapuma all factoring in the race, the Colombian fans were unrelenting in their enthusiasm. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Simon Yates was resplendent in glory as he took the solo victory in front of a fast chasing peloton. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Bart De Clercq was the victim of late-race crash that caused severe trauma to the right side of his body — but the tough Belgian managed to remount and finish the stage only 30 seconds in arrears of the favorites. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Stage 6 was one of the more technical, twisty, and undulating courses of the race so far and kept the riders constantly on their toes throughout the atypical stage. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The 2016 curse of crashes continued for Alberto Contador on stage 7 as the Spaniard was taken out inside the final kilometer of racing, leaving his left side full of road rash. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The rolling terrain of stage 7 kept the pace high and the peloton strung out. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Luis Leon Sanchez was within reach of victory for the second time in as many days but came up short in Puebla de Sanabria. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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The Team Sky Pinarello Dogma sat at sign-in, awaiting its owner Ian Boswell to collect it. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Luis Angel Maté of Team Cofidis made friends on the podium as he was awarded most combative on stage 7. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Contador bounced back from his crash on the prior stage to take time out of some of his key rivals such as Chris Froome and Alejandro Valverde. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The approach to the finish line on La Camperona was festooned with the regional flags of this historic coal mining area. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Quintana made his attack on the steep ascent of La Camperona to claim the race lead from fellow Colombian Darwin Atapuma. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Samuel Sanchez hails from the region of Asturias and is no stranger to the difficult climbs of the area, but it still took its toll on the BMC rider. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Sergey Lagutin rode clear from his breakaway companions in the final few hundred meters to take a solo victory atop La Camperona. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Quintana lined up alongside his teammate and white jersey holder Alejandro Valverde and arch rival Contador. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Quintana climbed to the summit of Alto de Naranco knowing they let the escape of de la Cruz gain enough time to take the leaders jersey off his shoulders on stage 9. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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David de la Cruz attacked out of the breakaway to take his first ever Vuelta stage win and the red jersey of overall leader. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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De la Cruz cherished the moment as he was awarded the red jersey as race leader, by far his biggest palmares to date. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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The opening “week” of the 2016 Vuelta culminated on the majestic slopes and grand vistas of Lagos de Covadonga. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Robert Gesink attacked inside 5km to go hoping he could slip clear of the battle for the overall on the final slopes of the Lagos de Covadonga. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Nairo Quintana put his climbing talents to work with only a few kilometers remaining on the climb to the finish in Covadonga. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Quintana fans were standing tall and proud for their countryman and hero at the lakeside in Lagos de Covadonga. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Chris Froome was dropped on the early slopes of the Covadonga but regained his composure and climbed himself back to a third place finish, limiting his losses to Quintana. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
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Lagos de Covadonga was another tough stage for Contador as he was unable to match the pace of Quintana or Froome. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
At the end of the first block of the 2016 Vuelta a España, Nairo Quintana claimed the overall lead and heads into the second half of the race in control. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

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