Stage 14 of the Vuelta finished in Sierra de la Pandera with UAE Team Emirates’ Rui Costa crossing the finish line in 25th place.
The Portuguese rider showcased impressive attacking riding, where he spent much of the day riding as part the main breakaway, only to be surpassed 4km from the finish line.
Team-mate Louis Meintjes came in 21st resulting in him moving up one place in the General Classification (GC) standings to 15th place.
The stage victory went to Rafal Majka (BORA – Hanshgrohe) whilst Chris Froome (Team Sky) retained the red jersey.
Commenting on the stage, UAE Team Emirates’ Rui Costa, said: “It was important that we had one person in the breakaway. It was a group of several riders in the front and we took advantage of that. We knew Majka was stronger than most of us in this kind of stage finish and his teammates did a great job in supporting him throughout. With regards to my performance, I am not back to my best form yet following the crash and I am hoping to have a good day during the last week and win a stage.”
Stage 15 is one of the shorter stages on this year’s Vuelta, spanning 129.5km from Alcalá la Real to Sierra Nevada.
The stage’s roads are based around Spain’s third highest mountain, the Pico de Veleta, with the riders climbing over 2,500m above sea level at certain points of today’s race.
STAGE 14 RESULTS
1. Rafal Majka (Poland) BORA – Hansgrohe – 4:42:10
2. Miguel Ángel López (Colombia) Astana Pro Team – 00:27
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team – 00:31
21. Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates – 03:01
25. Rui Costa (Portugal) UAE Team Emirates – 5:33
GC STANDINGS
1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky – 58:30:47
2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team – 00:55
3. Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands) Team Sunweb – 02:17
15. Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates – 08:56