Stage 16: San Martin del Rey Aurelio > La Farrapona, 160.5kms

The brutal day begins on the Alto de Colladona, where Luis Leon Sanchez is trying to escape...

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Peter Kennaugh is also in this group, as is Rohan Dennis, Laurens Ten Dam and four others...

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With such a brutal pace, youngsters like Bob Jungels are struggling at the start of the last week of the race...

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Rigoberto Uran is further back than Jungels, and heading for a bad day in the saddle...

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Omega's Luca Brambilla is in the escape, he has a chance to win, but only if luck goes his way...

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The Katusha team has settled down to chasing, but they are six-minutes down on the Alto de la Cobertoria...

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Robert Wagner is only pretending that it hurts...

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David Millar isn't pretending, and he's bruised just a bit from his stage 15 crash...

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Fabian Cancellara has suddenly moved to the front, surprising the residents at Katusha...

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Cancellara has clearly chosen this day, this hour, to make a pre-worlds test - he's attacked..!

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As Cancellara moves away, Evans, Sanchez and Quinziato are off the back, clearly unwell or just struggling...

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Meanwhile, Cancellara is time trialling across the gap, though he'll never get closer than three minutes...

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Asturias has put on a great day for the Vuelta, not that the cyclists have the time to appreciate this...

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Christian Knees leads the peloton past Cancellara and is closing in on the escape on the penultimate ascent...

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Wouter Peols is leading the stage with Brambilla and De Marchi behind him, the stage is up for grabs, maybe...

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Cadel Evans is struggling badly on the Puerto de San Lorenzo...

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Phillip Deignan is working flat-out to prepare the finale for Chris Froome...

De Marchi is the danger man for Brambilla, if they can stay three minutes ahead...

Brambilla has been taken out of the race by commissaires after fighting with Rovny - Poels and De Marchi start the last long ascent with a two-minute lead...

Kennaugh has been caught by Sky, but his real role is revealed by setting a brutal pace on the climb...

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With seven-kilometres left, Chris Froome attacks suddenly - and only Contador can go with him..!

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It's hurting Froome more than it's hurting Contador, who just follows...

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Froome looks to be wilting with three-kilometres left, there's a predator on his wheel called Contador...

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Joaquin Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde are barely chasing, just surviving, almost one-minute down...

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Alberto Contador wins stage sixteen after attacking Froome in the last 500-metres...

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