Nieve holds of Schleck in Vuelta's stage 16
Spanish climber Mikel Nieve claimed the first stage win of his career in Stage 16 of the Vuelta a Espana on Monday.
The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider pushed ahead up the final climb to beat general classification contender Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank to the victory. Quick Step's Kevin de Weert finished third, one minute and eight seconds behind Nieve and two seconds after Schleck.
Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez also performed well on the ascent, finishing fourth to claim the red leader's jersey from Liquigas-Doimo's Vincenzo Nibali.
Four ascents for climbing specialists
That stage 16 would favour the climbers in the Vuelta lineup was no secret, as the 179km-route from Gijon to Alto de Cotobello contained no less than four categorized climbs, three of which were in the first category.
The second climb of the day, up Alto de San Lorenzo, proved the toughest, as several stretches had a gradient of fifteen per cent. At 10km, the Cotobello matched matched the San Lorenzo in length, but had a gradient of eight per cent.
Overall contender Denis Menchov broke out to win the first sprint, but he was matched by teams Cofidis and Katusha. Cofidis' David Moncoutie strengthened his bid for the mountains classification as he was the first rider to conquer the category-3 climb up Alto de Cabrunana.
A breakaway group of ten riders then formed, one that included Caisse d'Epargne's Luis Leon Sanchez, Rabobank's Sebastian Langeveld and Astana's Alexander Dyachenko.
The ten-man group split on the way up the San Lorenzo, which Sanchez was the first to overcome. Helped by teammate Juan Jose Oroz, Nieve then caught up with Sanchez to signal his intention of fighting for the stage win.
Nieve triumphs on final climb
Schleck made two attacks after Nieve pulled in front at the base of the Cotobello, but Nieve was able to remain in front. Garmin-Transitions' Tom Danielson and Carlos Sastre of the Cervelo Test Team joined Schleck, but the Luxembourgian managed to fight both riders off.
However, Schleck was unable to catch Nieve, who held his own to claim an impressive victory in a tough climbing stage.
The Saxo Bank rider still moved to fourth place in the general classification, two minutes and 16 seconds behind Rodriquez.
The Spaniard leads Nibali by 33 seconds in the overall standings, while Xacobeo Galicia's Ezequiel Mosquera is 53 seconds behind.
With five other riders within five minutes of the red jersey, there is plenty to still be decided before Sunday's final stage.
Tags: