Team Sky’s Chris Froome maintained his lead at the 2017 Vuelta a Espana after a dramatic stage saw some of his rivals claw back time they had lost in Tuesday’s time trial.
Froome finished 14th on the stage, which was won by Aqua Blue Sport’s Stefan Denifl. He is now 1 minute 16 seconds ahead of Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, with the race set up for an aggressive final few days of racing before it reaches the finish in Madrid on Sunday.
Froome said:
“It’s never nice to lose time like that but at the same time I’m still really happy with the positon that we’re in. I think we always knew today was going to be a really tough final and it certainly was, especially with the weather conditions as well.
“With three days of racing to go the team is still in a great position. I’m feeling good and looking forward to the next few days.
“This was a typical Vuelta summit finish. It’s the nature of the race and it’s the same for everyone of course. I don’t think anyone really enjoys gradients over 25 percent but that’s just how it is. I still feel good and I’m confident with the guys around me that we can get the job done.
“I think I paid a little bit for yesterday’s effort but at the same time I’m pretty sure I’ll bounce back after today”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s summit finish on the Angliru, Froome said:
“I’m not really concerned (about the Angliru). Of course it’s a really tough stage, and probably the toughest climb of this year’s Vuelta. There’s still a big battle for the GC but we’ll take it one stage at a time.”
Stage 17 Brief Results:
- Stefan Denifl (Austria / Aqua Blue Sport) 4:48:52″
- Alberto Contador (Spain / Trek-Segafredo) +28″
- Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia / Astana Pro Team) +1:04″
- Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Bahrain-Merida)
- Ilnur Zakarin (Russia / Katusha-Alpecin)
- Rafal Majka (Poland / BORA-hansgrohe)
- Michael Woods (Canada / Cannondale-Drapac) +1:13″
- Daniel Moreno (Spain / Movistar Team) +1:17″
- Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands / Team Sunweb) +1:19″
- David De La Cruz (Spain / Quick-Step Floors) +1:42″
General Classification After Stage 17:
- Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 67:44:03″
- Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Bahrain-Merida) +1:16″
- Wilco Kelderman (Netherlands / Team Sunweb) +2:13″
- Ilnur Zakarin (Russia / Katusha-Alpecin) +2:25″
- Alberto Contador (Spain / Trek-Segafredo) +3:34″
- Miguel Angel Lopez (Colombia / Astana Pro Team) +4:39″
- Michael Woods (Canada / Cannondale-Drapac) +6:33″
- Wout Poels (Netherlands / Team Sky) +6:40″
- Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) +6:45″
- David De La Cruz (Spain / Quick-Step Floors) +10:10″
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