Vuelta a Espana 2020: David Gaudu wins 11th stage as Primoz Roglic, Richard Carapaz continue battle atop standings

Alto de la Farrapona: David Gaudu of France won the gruelling 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Saturday, while title rivals Primoz Roglic and Richard Carapaz remained locked atop the overall classification.

Gaudu sped away from Marc Soler and screamed with joy as he crossed the finish line at the top of Alto de la Farrapona. The Groupama-FDJ rider claimed the 170-kilometer (105-mile) ride up four category-one climbs in Spain’s northern mountains in just under 5 hours.

Gaudu and Soler were the last remnants of a breakaway that successfully stayed ahead of the group of overall contenders on the final climb.

Defending champion Roglic maintained the red leader’s jersey that he reclaimed from Carapaz on Friday. Roglic and Carapaz crossed together to remain on the same overall time.

Dan Martin is third overall at 25 seconds behind.

Sunday’s stage stays in the mountains with a 109.4-kilometer (67.9-mile) ride over four summits before a beyond-category finish atop the Alto de l’Angliru.

The coronavirus pandemic caused the grand tour to be pushed back from its August-September slot and reduced from 21 to 18 stages.