2014 Vuelta a España

69th Edition: August 23 - September 14, 2014

Stage 15 Results

Back to 2014 Vuelta |

Stage 15, Sunday, Sept 7: Oviedo - Lagos de Covadonga, 152.2 km

Stage 15 live updates | Stage 15 photos | Stage 15 map and profile |

Przemyslaw Niemiec wins Vuelta stage 15. Photo ©Sirotti

The Race: The second of three hard days in the mountains brought no more clarity to this year's Vuelta. The standings have tightened up, if anything.

Five riders escaped when the stage was about 50 kilometers old: John Degenkolb, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Francisco Aramendia, Cameron Meyer and Kristoff Vandewalle. The quintet had no GC contenders and the peloton was obviously unworried about them, allowing them to get as much as a 10-minute lead.

On the final climb to Cavadonga Niemiec went solo, while behind, the pace got quite hot.

With 5 kilometers to go Contador did a big-gear out-of-the-saddle attack and drew Alejandro Valverde and Joaquin Rodriguez. Fabio Aru made it up to the trio but when Contador dealt out more pain, Aru was shelled. Further back, Chris Froome was unable to get up to the leaders and was joined by Aru.

Niemiec was losing ground to the Red Jersey group, but was able to cross the line alone and win the stage. On the final uphill section Valverde dropped Contador and gained a few seconds.

Contador remains the overall leader, ahead of Valverde by 31 seconds.

Complete Stage 15 results:

Winner's average speed: 36.361 km/hr

1	Przemyslaw Niemiec	Lampre Merida	4hr 11min 9sec
2	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	@ 5 seconds
3	Joaquin Rodriguez	Team Katusha
4	Alberto Contador	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 10''
5	Fabio Aru	Astana Pro Team	+ 17''
6	Christopher Froome	Team SKY
7	Daniel Martin	Garmin Sharp	+ 28''
8	Warren Barguil	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 44''
9	Rigoberto Uran	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 1' 00''
10	Giampaolo Caruso	Team Katusha
11	Robert Gesink	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 1' 07''
12	Daniel Moreno	Team Katusha
13	Samuel Sánchez	BMC Racing Team	+ 1' 46''
14	Mikel Nieve	Team SKY
15	Kristof Vandewalle	Trek Factory Racing	+ 1' 58''
16	Cameron Meyer	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2' 01''
17	Damiano Caruso	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2' 14''
18	Daniel Navarro	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
19	Romain Sicard	Team Europcar	+ 2' 45''
20	Luis Angel Mate	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
21	Wilco Kelderman	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 3' 00''
22	Winner Anacona	Lampre Merida	+ 3' 15''
23	Maxime Monfort	Lotto Belisol	+ 3' 43''
24	José Herrada	Movistar Team	+ 3' 50''
25	Jesús Hernández	Tinkoff - Saxo
26	Gianluca Brambilla	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 4' 56''
27	Sergio Pardilla	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 5' 01''
28	Oliver Zaugg	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 5' 03''
29	Tanel Kangert	Astana Pro Team
30	Francisco Javier Aramendia	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 6' 07''
31	David Arroyo	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
32	Christophe Le Mevel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 6' 36''
33	Yohan Bagot	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 6' 39''
34	Paolo Tiralongo	Astana Pro Team	+ 8' 32''
35	Philip Deignan	Team SKY	+ 10' 48''
36	Ryder Hesjedal	Garmin Sharp	+ 11' 14''
37	Esteban Chaves	Orica GreenEdge	+ 11' 15''
38	Gorka Izagirre	Movistar Team
39	Kanstantsin Siutsou	Team SKY
40	Dominik Nerz	BMC Racing Team	+ 12' 50''
41	Pieter Serry	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 12' 56''
42	Andrey Zeits	Astana Pro Team
43	Sergio Miguel Paulinho	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 13' 26''
44	Simon Clarke	Orica GreenEdge
45	Philippe Gilbert	BMC Racing Team	+ 15' 31''
46	Guillaume Levarlet	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
47	Chris Anker Sörensen	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 15' 34''
48	Danilo Wyss	BMC Racing Team
49	Hubert Dupont	AG2R La Mondiale
50	Maxime Mederel	Team Europcar
51	Dario Cataldo	Team SKY
52	Amets Txurruka	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 16' 47''
53	Mikel Landa	Astana Pro Team
54	Cédric Pineau	FDJ.fr
55	Andrey Amador	Movistar Team	+ 19' 28''
56	Peio Bilbao	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
57	Jonathan Castroviejo	Movistar Team
58	Haimar Zubeldia	Trek Factory Racing	+ 21' 47''
59	Andre Fernando Cardoso	Garmin Sharp
60	Andrew Talansky	Garmin Sharp
61	Bart De Clercq	Lotto Belisol
62	Rohan Dennis	BMC Racing Team	+ 23' 11''
63	Johannes Fröhlinger	Team Giant - Shimano
64	Sébastien Hinault	IAM Cycling
65	Chad Haga	Team Giant - Shimano
66	Marcel Aregger	IAM Cycling
67	Alexandr Kolobnev	Team Katusha
68	Tobias Ludvigsson	Team Giant - Shimano
69	Eduard Vorganov	Team Katusha
70	Ivan Rovny	Tinkoff - Saxo
71	Cadel Evans	BMC Racing Team	+ 23' 59''
72	Rinaldo Nocentini	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 24' 25''
73	Manuel Quinziato	BMC Racing Team
74	Elia Favilli	Lampre Merida
75	Alberto Losada	Team Katusha
76	Jerome Coppel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 24' 32''
77	Sander Armee	Lotto Belisol	+ 24' 34''
78	Alessandro De Marchi	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 24' 44''
79	George Bennett	Cannondale Pro Cycling
80	Michael Valgren Andersen	Tinkoff - Saxo
81	John Degenkolb	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 27' 46''
82	Nathan Brown	Garmin Sharp
83	Dmitry Kozontchuk	Team Katusha	+ 28' 02''
84	Yury Trofimov	Team Katusha
85	Yaroslav Popovych	Trek Factory Racing	+ 29' 58''
86	Filippo Pozzato	Lampre Merida
87	Tom Boonen	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
88	Vicente Reynes	IAM Cycling
89	Oscar Gatto	Cannondale Pro Cycling
90	Stef Clement	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
91	Imanol Erviti	Movistar Team
92	Jasper Stuyven	Trek Factory Racing
93	Robert Wagner	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
94	Maarten Tjallingii	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
95	Jay Robert Thomson	MTN - Qhubeka
96	Adriano Malori	Movistar Team
97	Sébastien Turgot	AG2R La Mondiale
98	Luke Rowe	Team SKY
99	Koen De Kort	Team Giant - Shimano
100	Carlos Alberto Betancur	AG2R La Mondiale
101	Vincent Jerome	Team Europcar
102	Nikias Arndt	Team Giant - Shimano
103	Johan Van Summeren	Garmin Sharp
104	Guillaume Boivin	Cannondale Pro Cycling
105	Paul Martens	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
106	Ramon Sinkeldam	Team Giant - Shimano
107	Paolo Longo Borghini	Cannondale Pro Cycling
108	Vegard Breen	Lotto Belisol
109	Javier Moreno	Movistar Team
110	Fabian Cancellara	Trek Factory Racing
111	Romain Zingle	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
112	Carlos Verona	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
113	Damiano Cunego	Lampre Merida
114	Luis Mas Bonet	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
115	Romain Hardy	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
116	Adam Yates	Orica GreenEdge
117	Mitchell Docker	Orica GreenEdge
118	Gregory Henderson	Lotto Belisol
119	Sergei Chernetski	Team Katusha
120	Luis León Sánchez	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
121	Matteo Tosatto	Tinkoff - Saxo
122	Kristian Sbaragli	MTN - Qhubeka
122	Adam Hansen	Lotto Belisol
123	Antonio Piedra	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
124	Nikolas Maes	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
125	Jacopo Guarnieri	Astana Pro Team
126	Laurent Mangel	FDJ.fr
127	Jesse Sergent	Trek Factory Racing
128	Martin Velits	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
129	Jonathan Fumeaux	IAM Cycling
130	Martijn Keizer	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
131	Lawrence Warbasse	BMC Racing Team
132	Sam Bewley	Orica GreenEdge
133	Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin	MTN - Qhubeka
134	Yauheni Hutarovich	AG2R La Mondiale
135	Jens Debusschere	Lotto Belisol
136	Wouter Poels	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
137	Andrea Guardini	Astana Pro Team
138	Patrick Gretsch	AG2R La Mondiale
139	Vasil Kiryienka	Team SKY
140	Dan Craven	Team Europcar
141	Koldo Fernández	Garmin Sharp
142	Christian Knees	Team SKY
143	Maciej Bodnar	Cannondale Pro Cycling
144	Daniil Fominykh	Astana Pro Team
145	Matthias Krizek	Cannondale Pro Cycling
146	Michael Matthews	Orica GreenEdge
147	Alexey Lutsenko	Astana Pro Team
148	Bob Jungels	Trek Factory Racing
149	Francesco Lasca	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
150	Valerio Conti	Lampre Merida
151	Fabio Felline	Trek Factory Racing
152	Nathan Haas	Garmin Sharp
153	Natnael Berhane	Team Europcar
154	Geoffrey Soupe	FDJ.fr
155	Daniel Teklehaimanot	MTN - Qhubeka
156	Pim Ligthart	Lotto Belisol
157	Jose Rodolfo Serpa	Lampre Merida
158	Johan Le Bon	FDJ.fr
159	Jacques Van Rensburg	MTN - Qhubeka
160	Yannick Martinez	Team Europcar
161	Gerald Ciolek	MTN - Qhubeka
162	Jaco Venter	MTN - Qhubeka
163	Roberto Ferrari	Lampre Merida
164	Damien Gaudin	AG2R La Mondiale
165	Louis Meintjes	MTN - Qhubeka
166	Karol Domagalski	Caja Rural Seguros RGA
167	Maximiliano Ariel Richeze	Lampre Merida
168	Laurens Ten Dam	Belkin Pro Cycling Team
169	Pirmin Lang	IAM Cycling
170	Gert Joeaar	Cofidis Solutions Crédits
171	Jimmy Engoulvent	Team Europcar
172	Daniele Bennati	Tinkoff - Saxo
173	David Millar	Garmin Sharp
174	Jerome Cousin	Team Europcar
175	Peter Kennaugh	Team SKY	+ 30' 38''

GC after Stage 15:

1	Alberto Contador	Tinkoff - Saxo	58hr 31min 35sec
2	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	@ 31 seconds
3	Christopher Froome	Team SKY	+ 1' 20''
4	Joaquin Rodriguez	Team Katusha	+ 1' 20''
5	Fabio Aru	Astana Pro Team	+ 2' 22''
6	Rigoberto Uran	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 2' 57''
7	Daniel Martin	Garmin Sharp	+ 4' 55''
8	Samuel Sánchez	BMC Racing Team	+ 5' 02''
9	Robert Gesink	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 5' 11''
10	Warren Barguil	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 6' 36''
11	Damiano Caruso	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 6' 49''
12	Daniel Navarro	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 7' 14''
13	Winner Anacona	Lampre Merida	+ 7' 41''
14	Daniel Moreno	Team Katusha	+ 8' 15''
15	Wilco Kelderman	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 9' 08''
16	Mikel Nieve	Team SKY	+ 10' 34''
17	Romain Sicard	Team Europcar	+ 13' 15''
18	Maxime Monfort	Lotto Belisol	+ 15' 04''
19	Sergio Pardilla	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 15' 11''
20	Giampaolo Caruso	Team Katusha	+ 15' 33''
21	Przemyslaw Niemiec	Lampre Merida	+ 15' 54''
22	Oliver Zaugg	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 19' 02''
23	David Arroyo	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 20' 05''
24	Esteban Chaves	Orica GreenEdge	+ 21' 48''
25	Angel Mate Luis	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 25' 37''
26	Christophe Le Mevel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 26' 25''
27	Dominik Nerz	BMC Racing Team	+ 27' 31''
28	Mikel Landa	Astana Pro Team	+ 33' 16''
29	Andre Fernando Cardoso	Garmin Sharp	+ 37' 23''
30	Ryder Hesjedal	Garmin Sharp	+ 38' 24''
31	Pieter Serry	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 40' 05''
32	Jesús Hernández	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 42' 26''
33	Tanel Kangert	Astana Pro Team	+ 43' 13''
34	José Herrada	Movistar Team	+ 47' 42''
35	Chris Anker Sörensen	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 48' 22''
36	Gianluca Brambilla	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 48' 51''
37	Alexandr Kolobnev	Team Katusha	+ 50' 18''
38	Wouter Poels	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 50' 19''
39	Paolo Tiralongo	Astana Pro Team	+ 53' 32''
40	Jerome Coppel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 56' 39''
41	Haimar Zubeldia	Trek Factory Racing	+ 58' 19''
42	Laurens Ten Dam	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 58' 30''
43	Gorka Izagirre	Movistar Team	+ 59' 05''
44	Amets Txurruka	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 1h 00' 23''
45	Andrey Amador	Movistar Team	+ 1h 01' 32''
46	Philippe Gilbert	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 03' 34''
47	Alberto Losada	Team Katusha	+ 1h 04' 23''
48	Adam Hansen	Lotto Belisol	+ 1h 05' 55''
49	Philip Deignan	Team SKY	+ 1h 05' 57''
50	Kanstantsin Siutsou	Team SKY	+ 1h 06' 17''
51	Danilo Wyss	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 06' 55''
52	Eduard Vorganov	Team Katusha	+ 1h 08' 38''
53	Maxime Mederel	Team Europcar	+ 1h 13' 16''
54	Bart De Clercq	Lotto Belisol	+ 1h 15' 24''
55	Daniel Teklehaimanot	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 1h 17' 07''
56	Cadel Evans	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 17' 34''
57	Luis León Sánchez	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 1h 17' 45''
58	Guillaume Levarlet	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 1h 19' 41''
59	Chad Haga	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 1h 20' 39''
60	Sergio Miguel Paulinho	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 1h 21' 26''
61	Paul Martens	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 1h 22' 18''
62	Manuel Quinziato	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 22' 53''
63	Tobias Ludvigsson	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 1h 23' 45''
64	Andrey Zeits	Astana Pro Team	+ 1h 26' 09''
65	Vicente Reynes	IAM Cycling	+ 1h 26' 34''
66	Andrew Talansky	Garmin Sharp	+ 1h 28' 04''
67	Hubert Dupont	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 1h 31' 03''
68	Bob Jungels	Trek Factory Racing	+ 1h 34' 20''
69	Imanol Erviti	Movistar Team	+ 1h 34' 37''
70	Carlos Verona	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 1h 35' 26''
71	Louis Meintjes	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 1h 35' 58''
72	Lawrence Warbasse	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 37' 32''
73	Jacques Van Rensburg	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 1h 37' 33''
74	Peio Bilbao	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 1h 38' 17''
75	Jonathan Castroviejo	Movistar Team	+ 1h 38' 40''
76	Cédric Pineau	FDJ.fr	+ 1h 39' 53''
77	Simon Clarke	Orica GreenEdge	+ 1h 40' 39''
78	Koen De Kort	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 1h 41' 38''
79	Kristof Vandewalle	Trek Factory Racing	+ 1h 42' 33''
80	Michael Matthews	Orica GreenEdge	+ 1h 43' 29''
81	Jerome Cousin	Team Europcar	+ 1h 44' 11''
82	Dario Cataldo	Team SKY	+ 1h 44' 30''
83	Romain Hardy	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 1h 44' 41''
84	Tom Boonen	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 1h 45' 06''
85	Romain Zingle	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 1h 45' 39''
86	Ivan Rovny	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 1h 45' 48''
87	Javier Moreno	Movistar Team	+ 1h 48' 02''
88	George Bennett	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 1h 53' 11''
89	Stef Clement	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 1h 53' 44''
90	Koldo Fernández	Garmin Sharp	+ 1h 54' 06''
91	Rohan Dennis	BMC Racing Team	+ 1h 54' 13''
92	Peter Kennaugh	Team SKY	+ 1h 55' 02''
93	Filippo Pozzato	Lampre Merida	+ 1h 56' 25''
94	Alessandro De Marchi	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 1h 57' 10''
95	Johan Le Bon	FDJ.fr	+ 2h 00' 21''
96	Martijn Keizer	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 2h 00' 32''
97	Yury Trofimov	Team Katusha	+ 2h 00' 59''
98	Johannes Fröhlinger	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 2h 01' 28''
99	Nathan Brown	Garmin Sharp	+ 2h 02' 01''
100	Adam Yates	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2h 02' 24''
101	Francisco Javier Aramendia	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 2h 04' 58''
102	Kristian Sbaragli	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 2h 05' 55''
103	Jasper Stuyven	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 08' 59''
104	Jens Debusschere	Lotto Belisol	+ 2h 09' 17''
105	Jose Rodolfo Serpa	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 09' 42''
106	Fabio Felline	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 10' 51''
107	Valerio Conti	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 10' 59''
108	Yannick Martinez	Team Europcar	+ 2h 11' 06''
109	Daniele Bennati	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 2h 11' 29''
110	Elia Favilli	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 11' 36''
111	Antonio Piedra	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 2h 11' 39''
112	Vasil Kiryienka	Team SKY	+ 2h 13' 37''
113	Fabian Cancellara	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 14' 26''
114	Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 2h 14' 37''
115	Nikias Arndt	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 2h 14' 38''
116	Alexey Lutsenko	Astana Pro Team	+ 2h 14' 55''
117	Nikolas Maes	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 2h 14' 57''
118	Dmitry Kozontchuk	Team Katusha	+ 2h 15' 12''
119	Damiano Cunego	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 15' 24''
120	Paolo Longo Borghini	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 16' 09''
121	Vincent Jerome	Team Europcar	+ 2h 16' 43''
122	Sander Armee	Lotto Belisol	+ 2h 17' 07''
123	Rinaldo Nocentini	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 2h 17' 46''
124	Sébastien Hinault	IAM Cycling	+ 2h 18' 17''
125	Yohan Bagot	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 2h 18' 46''
126	Luis Mas Bonet	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 2h 19' 15''
127	Matteo Tosatto	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 2h 19' 20''
128	Christian Knees	Team SKY	+ 2h 20' 45''
129	Marcel Aregger	IAM Cycling	+ 2h 21' 20''
130	Cameron Meyer	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2h 21' 26''
131	Karol Domagalski	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 2h 23' 53''
132	Geoffrey Soupe	FDJ.fr	+ 2h 24' 07''
133	Maciej Bodnar	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 24' 29''
134	Adriano Malori	Movistar Team	+ 2h 24' 53''
135	Yaroslav Popovych	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 25' 21''
136	John Degenkolb	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 2h 25' 38''
137	Jaco Venter	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 2h 27' 55''
138	Sergei Chernetski	Team Katusha	+ 2h 30' 08''
139	Michael Valgren Andersen	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 2h 30' 41''
140	Vegard Breen	Lotto Belisol	+ 2h 33' 04''
141	Gregory Henderson	Lotto Belisol	+ 2h 34' 57''
142	Damien Gaudin	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 2h 35' 29''
143	Jesse Sergent	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 36' 50''
144	Martin Velits	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 2h 37' 13''
145	Matthias Krizek	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 37' 14''
146	Sam Bewley	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2h 39' 06''
147	Johan Van Summeren	Garmin Sharp	+ 2h 40' 00''
148	Pim Ligthart	Lotto Belisol	+ 2h 41' 52''
149	Patrick Gretsch	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 2h 41' 58''
150	Ramon Sinkeldam	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 2h 42' 20''
151	David Millar	Garmin Sharp	+ 2h 44' 44''
152	Yauheni Hutarovich	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 2h 45' 43''
153	Oscar Gatto	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 46' 05''
154	Gerald Ciolek	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 2h 48' 21''
155	Jonathan Fumeaux	IAM Cycling	+ 2h 49' 35''
156	Mitchell Docker	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2h 51' 47''
157	Maximiliano Ariel Richeze	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 52' 56''
158	Pirmin Lang	IAM Cycling	+ 2h 53' 05''
159	Roberto Ferrari	Lampre Merida	+ 2h 53' 07''
160	Dan Craven	Team Europcar	+ 2h 53' 53''
161	Maarten Tjallingii	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 2h 54' 11''
162	Guillaume Boivin	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 54' 49''
163	Daniil Fominykh	Astana Pro Team	+ 3h 01' 40''
164	Nathan Haas	Garmin Sharp	+ 3h 01' 44''
165	Gert Joeaar	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	+ 3h 01' 58''
166	Francesco Lasca	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	+ 3h 05' 16''
167	Robert Wagner	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 3h 05' 48''
168	Sébastien Turgot	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 3h 05' 54''
169	Jay Robert Thomson	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 3h 05' 59''
170	Natnael Berhane	Team Europcar	+ 3h 06' 06''
171	Luke Rowe	Team SKY	+ 3h 06' 28''
172	Jacopo Guarnieri	Astana Pro Team	+ 3h 10' 10''
173	Laurent Mangel	FDJ.fr	+ 3h 13' 59''
174	Jimmy Engoulvent	Team Europcar	+ 3h 28' 05''
175	Andrea Guardini	Astana Pro Team	+ 3h 34' 48''
176	Carlos Alberto Betancur	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 3h 36' 40''

Points Classification:

1	John Degenkolb	Team Giant - Shimano	124 points
2	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	100
3	Alberto Contador	Tinkoff - Saxo	83
4	Joaquin Rodriguez	Team Katusha	77
5	Christopher Froome	Team SKY	75
6	Michael Matthews	Orica GreenEdge	73
7	Daniel Martin	Garmin Sharp	67
8	Fabio Aru	Astana Pro Team	56
9	Ryder Hesjedal	Garmin Sharp	49
10	Rigoberto Uran	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	46
11	Jasper Stuyven	Trek Factory Racing	42
12	Daniel Navarro	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	40
13	Daniel Moreno	Team Katusha	36
14	Tom Boonen	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	35
15	Damiano Caruso	Cannondale Pro Cycling	33
16	Robert Gesink	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	32
17	Wilco Kelderman	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	32
18	Roberto Ferrari	Lampre Merida	32
19	Samuel Sánchez	BMC Racing Team	31
20	Przemyslaw Niemiec	Lampre Merida	29
21	Winner Anacona	Lampre Merida	28
22	Alexandr Kolobnev	Team Katusha	28
23	Vicente Reynes	IAM Cycling	28
24	Alessandro De Marchi	Cannondale Pro Cycling	27
25	Alexey Lutsenko	Astana Pro Team	25
26	Fabian Cancellara	Trek Factory Racing	25
27	Paul Martens	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	24
28	Philippe Gilbert	BMC Racing Team	21
29	Pim Ligthart	Lotto Belisol	20
30	Oliver Zaugg	Tinkoff - Saxo	20
31	Cadel Evans	BMC Racing Team	20
32	Yannick Martinez	Team Europcar	19
33	Yauheni Hutarovich	AG2R La Mondiale	18
34	Warren Barguil	Team Giant - Shimano	17
35	Hubert Dupont	AG2R La Mondiale	17
36	Bob Jungels	Trek Factory Racing	17
37	Damiano Cunego	Lampre Merida	17
38	Imanol Erviti	Movistar Team	16
39	Kristian Sbaragli	MTN - Qhubeka	16
40	Gregory Henderson	Lotto Belisol	16
41	Jacopo Guarnieri	Astana Pro Team	16
42	Valerio Conti	Lampre Merida	14
43	Gianluca Brambilla	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	14
44	Jerome Coppel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	14
45	Javier Moreno	Movistar Team	14
46	Luis Mas Bonet	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	13
47	Peio Bilbao	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	13
48	Elia Favilli	Lampre Merida	12
49	Louis Meintjes	MTN - Qhubeka	12
50	Francesco Lasca	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	12
51	Romain Sicard	Team Europcar	11
52	David Arroyo	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	11
53	Bart De Clercq	Lotto Belisol	11
54	Vasil Kiryienka	Team SKY	11
55	Pieter Serry	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	10
56	Oscar Gatto	Cannondale Pro Cycling	10
57	Robert Wagner	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	10
58	Jacques Van Rensburg	MTN - Qhubeka	9
59	Mikel Nieve	Team SKY	9
60	Esteban Chaves Rubio	Orica GreenEdge	9
61	Matthias Krizek	Cannondale Pro Cycling	8
62	Adam Hansen	Lotto Belisol	8
63	Sergio Pardilla	MTN - Qhubeka	7
64	Danilo Wyss	BMC Racing Team	7
65	Carlos Verona	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	7
66	Jesse Sergent	Trek Factory Racing	7
67	Guillaume Boivin	Cannondale Pro Cycling	7
68	Giampaolo Caruso	Team Katusha	6
69	Francisco Javier Aramendia	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	6
70	Fabio Felline	Trek Factory Racing	6
71	Ramon Sinkeldam	Team Giant - Shimano	6
72	Jerome Cousin	Team Europcar	5
73	Gerald Ciolek	MTN - Qhubeka	5
74	Amets Txurruka	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	4
75	Stef Clement	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	4
76	Nikias Arndt	Team Giant - Shimano	4
77	Sébastien Turgot	AG2R La Mondiale	4
78	Romain Hardy	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	4
79	Jens Debusschere	Lotto Belisol	4
80	Sébastien Hinault	IAM Cycling	4
81	Christophe Le Mevel	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	3
82	Laurens Ten Dam	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	3
83	Daniele Bennati	Tinkoff - Saxo	3
84	Michael Valgren Andersen	Tinkoff - Saxo	3
85	Maximiliano Ariel Richeze	Lampre Merida	3
86	Jimmy Engoulvent	Team Europcar	3
87	Romain Zingle	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	2
88	Paolo Longo Borghini	Cannondale Pro Cycling	2
89	Geoffrey Soupe	FDJ.fr	2
90	Damien Gaudin	AG2R La Mondiale	2
91	Gert Joeaar	Cofidis Solutions Crédits	2
92	Robert Thomson Jay	MTN - Qhubeka	2
93	José Herrada	Movistar Team	1
94	Eduard Vorganov	Team Katusha	1
95	Sergio Miguel Paulinho	Tinkoff - Saxo	1
96	Kristof Vandewalle	Trek Factory Racing	1
97	Ivan Rovny	Tinkoff - Saxo	1
98	Johan Le Bon	FDJ.fr	1
99	Christian Knees	Team SKY	1
100	Cameron Meyer	Orica GreenEdge	1

Mountains Classification:

1	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar Team	28 points
2	Luis León Sánchez	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	26
3	Przemyslaw Niemiec	Lampre Merida	20
4	Luis Mas Bonet	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	20
5	Winner Anacona	Lampre Merida	18
6	Ryder Hesjedal	Garmin Sharp	16
7	Jerome Cousin	Team Europcar	13
8	Alberto Contador	Tinkoff - Saxo	13
9	Fabio Aru	Astana Pro Team	12
10	Joaquin Rodriguez	Team Katusha	12
11	Damiano Cunego	Lampre Merida	10
12	Oliver Zaugg	Tinkoff - Saxo	8
13	Javier Moreno	Movistar Team	7
14	Amets Txurruka	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	7
15	Christopher Froome	Team SKY	7
16	Danilo Wyss	BMC Racing Team	7
17	Yannick Martinez	Team Europcar	6
18	Alexey Lutsenko	Astana Pro Team	6
19	Pim Ligthart	Lotto Belisol	5
20	Bart De Clercq	Lotto Belisol	4
21	Imanol Erviti	Movistar Team	4
22	Vasil Kiryienka	Team SKY	3
23	Nathan Haas	Garmin Sharp	3
24	Jacques Van Rensburg	MTN - Qhubeka	3
25	Kristof Vandewalle	Trek Factory Racing	3
26	Adam Yates	Orica GreenEdge	3
27	Sergio Pardilla	MTN - Qhubeka	2
28	Alexandr Kolobnev	Team Katusha	2
29	Hubert Dupont	AG2R La Mondiale	2
30	Peio Bilbao	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	2
31	Kristian Sbaragli	MTN - Qhubeka	2
32	Elia Favilli	Lampre Merida	2
33	Jay Robert Thomson	MTN - Qhubeka	2
34	Jimmy Engoulvent	Team Europcar	2
35	Samuel Sánchez	BMC Racing Team	1
36	Romain Sicard	Team Europcar	1
37	Adam Hansen	Lotto Belisol	1
38	Bob Jungels	Trek Factory Racing	1
39	Louis Meintjes	MTN - Qhubeka	1
40	Dario Cataldo	Team SKY	1
41	Stef Clement	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	1
42	Francisco Javier Aramendia	Caja Rural Seguros RGA	1
43	Valerio Conti	Lampre Merida	1
44	Cameron Meyer	Orica GreenEdge	1

Team Classification:

1	Team Katusha	175hr 21min 40sec
2	Movistar Team	@ 11min 50sec
3	Tinkoff - Saxo	+ 22' 32''
4	Cofidis, Solutions Crédits	+ 22' 55''
5	Omega Pharma - Quick-Step	+ 24' 34''
6	Astana Pro Team	+ 27' 45''
7	Team SKY	+ 38' 21''
8	BMC Racing Team	+ 48' 02''
9	Garmin Sharp	+ 50' 12''
10	Belkin Pro Cycling Team	+ 51' 14''
11	Lampre - Merida	+ 1h 01' 49''
12	Caja Rural - Seguros RGA	+ 1h 18' 54''
13	Lotto Belisol	+ 1h 27' 58''
14	Team Giant - Shimano	+ 1h 53' 47''
15	MTN - Qhubeka	+ 2h 01' 43''
16	Orica GreenEdge	+ 2h 12' 33''
17	Team Europcar	+ 2h 13' 16''
18	Trek Factory Racing	+ 2h 27' 37''
19	Cannondale Pro Cycling	+ 2h 46' 31''
20	AG2R La Mondiale	+ 3h 10' 32''
21	FDJ.fr	+ 3h 45' 30''
22	IAM Cycling	+ 5h 06' 49''

Stage 15 photos:

Alejandro Valverde leads Alberto Contador and Joaquin Rodriguez. Photo ©Sirotti

Contador and Rodriguez. Photo ©Sirotti

The big GC boys head up the hill. Photo ©Sirotti

He was down to just a 5-second gap, but that was just fine with Przemyslaw Niemiec, who wins the prestigious fifteenth stage. Photo ©Sirotti

Another shot of Niemiec's winning stage 15. Photo ©Sirotti

Stage winner Przemyslaw Niemiec. Photo ©Sirotti. I guess when you win a race in Spain they like to make you wear a funny hat.

Stage 15 live updates:

Weather at Covadonga at 11AM, local time: 20C (68F), wind from the southeast at 3 km/hr (2 mph), mostly cloudy. Humidity is high, 86%. The forecast is 90% chance of rain, thunderstorms likely, even possible localized flooding. Temperature should remain steady.

The start: All 181 riders who finished yesterday signed in to ride today's stage with its above-category hilltop finish. The judges randomly selected several riders' bikes, including that of world time trial champion Tony Martin, to make sure thay meet the UCI minimum weight of 6.8 kg (14.99 lbs).

There were two notable abandons yesterday, Peter Sagan and Nacer Bouhanni. The assumption is that they wish to recover and prepare for the world championships.

The peloton is currently cruising through the 8.5 km neutralized zone before the racing proper begins.

Km 12, 140 km to go: This is the second of three hard days in the mountains. Tuesday will be a rest day. The peloton is currently together after several Mtn-Qhubeka riders tried to escape.

Km 23, 129 km to go: Alexey Lutsenko and Yury Trofimov attempted a breakaway but Orica-GreenEdge brought the pair back to the pack. There was a crash and Anthony Roux (FDJ) has abandoned.

Km 48, 104 km to go: It has started to rain. Five riders are just 22 seconds ahead of the field: John Degenkolb, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Francisco Aramendia, Cameron Meyer and Kristoff Vandewalle.

The Vuelta's Lanterne Rouge, the last man in the GC standings, was Matteo Pelucchi. Pelucchi has abandoned.

Km 55, 97 km to go: Looks like we have the day's break. The five riders have built a 3 minute lead.

Results of the Intermediate sprint at Villaviciosa: 1st John Degenkolb, 2nd Przemyslaw Niemiec, 3rd Francisco Aramendia.

Km 61, 91 km to go: The break of five (John Degenkolb, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Francisco Aramendia, Cameron Meyer and Kristoff Vandewalle) have pushed their lead out to 9min 41sec. Of that five, only Niemiec is a real climber. Degenkolb is probably out snagging intermediate sprint points to grow his points classification lead.

Km 73, 79 km to go: The peloton certainly isn't worried about this break. Their gap has grown to 10min 40sec. The best placed rider in the break is Niemiec, down more than 16 minutes.

Km 85, 67 km to go: Tinkoff-Saxo is pulling the peloton and their efforts have brought the break's lead down to 10min 20sec.

Km 95, 57 km to go: Results of the intermediate sprint at Ribadesella: 1st John Degenkolb, 2nd Przemyslaw Niemiec, 3rd Cameron Meyer. The break's lead is 10min 2sec.

Km 111, 41 km to go: The break has begun ascending the first of the day's two categorized climbs, the second-category Puerto del Torno. Tinkoff-Saxo is letting the five breakaways ride 9min 18sec ahead of the field.

Km 119, 33 km to go: Dan Martin has crashed and the Garmin-Sharp team has gone back to return him to the peloton. Martin is currently a minute behind the peloton, which is down to about 30 riders. Katusha and Movistart have moved to the front of the pack.

The break's lead has come down to 5min 20sec

27 km to go: Niemiec has attacked the break, and John Degenkolb has been dropped. Dan Martin has joined the peloton. Niemiec is 4min 39sec ahead of the field.

24 km to go: We have a break of four: Przemyslaw Niemiec, Francisco Aramendia, Cameron Meyer and Kristoff Vandewalle, 4min 17sec ahead of the peloton as they head to the final climb, descending on wet streets. And I was wrong. Dan Martin is still 30 seconds behind the peloton.

18 km to go: The peloton is lined out as it descends the wet streets with care. Still, Jonathan Castroviejo has fallen. Break's lead is 4min 17sec. They may make it to the finish.

15 km to go: We're about to start the above-category climb to Covadonga. Movistar is leading the peloton. The Vuelta is reporting that Dan Martin has regained the peloton and that Lloyd Mondory has abandoned.

12 km to go: The four breakaways on doing some serious climbing now, 3min 57sec ahead of the Movistar-led (mostly Andrey Amador) pack. The air is thick with mist.

8 km to go: In the break, Niemiec and Meyer have dropped Aramendia and Vandewalle. Back in the peloton Warren Barguil, Winner Anacona and Giampaolo Caruso have a small gap. Chris Froome is at the back of the peloton. The break's lead is down to three minutes.

7 km to go: Now it's Moreno, Barguil and Caruso slightly off the front of the peloton. The break's gap is falling fast, now it 2min 33sec

6 km to go: The peloton has caught Aramendia. The three riders (Moreno, Barguil and Caruso) are just dangling off the front of a now very reduced peloton. Contador is staying near the front, currently in second postion.

The trio is caught.

Gap to the Meyer/Niemiec break is two minutes.

5 km to go: Barguil goes again.

Bam! Contador attacks with Valverde and Rodriguez on his wheel. Froome is dropped. Contador keeps hammering out of the saddle. He can't drop Valverde and Rodriguez.

4 km to go: Niemiec and Meyer are 1 minute up the road. Fabio Aru has clawed his way up to Contador, Valverde and Rodriguez. Froome is 15 seconds behind the Contador group.

3 km to go: Contador delivers more punishment and Aru is dropped. Froome is now 20 seconds behind.

Bam! Rodriguez attacks, but Contador and Valverde are on his wheel. Niemiec is now alone off the front, just 30 seconds ahead of the Contador group. Froome continues to lose ground.

2 km to go: Contador is out of the saddle, driving hard, but Valverde and Rodriguez can take what he is dishing out. The gap up to Niemiec remians at 30 seconds. Froome and Aru are riding together, about 25 seconds behind.

The finish: The road has flattened out and Niemiec is driving for home.

Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre) has held on to win stage 15. Valverde was the first of the chasers with a small space between himself and Contador.

Stage 15 map and profile:

Stage 15 map

Stage 15 profile

Back to 2014 Vuelta |