• Vuelta a Espana

Barredo claims victory in Stage 15 of Vuelta

Carlos Barredo pounced with 10km left of Stage 15 to surge to victory © Getty Images

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Carlos Barredo timed his charge perfectly to claim victory in Stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana from Solares to Lagos de Covadonga.

Following Saturday's crash which forced overall race leader Igor Anton to retire, Vincenzo Nibali started the 187km Stage with a four second lead over Joaquin Rodriguez in the general classification.

In the early stages, Nibali took up a position at the front of the pack and proceeded to fend off several attacks. Thirteen riders then made a break but they were soon swallowed up by the peloton. Another breakaway followed as the front-runners set a blistering average speed of 53km/hr for the opening 30km.

Matthew Goss of HTC-Columbia took the first intermediate sprint ahead of Rinaldo Nocentini and Philippe Gilbert, and it was Gilbert who then forced the issue at the front of the pack.

As the pace slowed slightly, Samuel Dumoulin led a group of 15 riders, which included Gilbert, ahead of the peloton. Six escapees managed to maintain their advantage, with Two Omega riders, Olivier Kaisen and Greg Van Avermaet right in the thick of the action.

The Stage culminated in a climb to Lagos de Covadonga, with Martin Velits attempting to create a gap between him and the other five escapees at the foot of the climb.

But as Velits began to tire, Barredo launched an attack some 10km from the finish. The Spaniard could not be caught and he was rewarded for his aggression with a stunning Stage triumph.

Ezequiel Mosquera crossed the line eleven seconds ahead of Nibali and Rodriguez but the top three in the classification remained unchanged.

Earlier, three-time world champion Oscar Freire of Spain did not start the Stage, deciding to pull out in order to train for the World Championship road race, which takes place in Melbourne in October.

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