UAE Team Emirates’ Louis Meintjes finished 19th in a gruelling stage 17 of the Vuelta a España, maintaining his 14th position in the General Classification (GC) standings.

The stage victory went to Stefan Denifl (Aqua Blue Sport) whilst Chris Froome (Team Sky) remains in the leader’s Red Jersey.

Commenting on the stage, South African Meintjes said: “It was a hard day, weather conditions weren’t great, there was a lot of wind at the start, and there was a really fast finale. My legs feel good and I’m really looking forward to the last few stages.”

At 169km, stage 18 starts in Suances and ends in Santo Toribio de Liébana. The route includes three back to back climbs including the Collada de Carmona, Collada de Ozalba and Collada de la Hoz. The last 2.5km of the route includes a short climb to the Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery.

STAGE 17 RESULTS

1. Stefan Denifl (Austria) Aqua Blue Sport – 4:48:52
2. Alberto Contador (Spain) Trek – Segafredo – 0:28
3. Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana Pro Team – 01:04
19. Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates – 02:05

GC STANDINGS

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky – 67:44:03
2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team – 01:16
3. Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands) Team Sunweb – 02:13
14. Louis Meintjes (SA) UAE Team Emirates – 13:03