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Warren Barguil won today's stage. Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images
Progress

Barguil takes stage 16 as Roche gains six seconds on lead

The Irish cyclist finished 22nd today, leaving him in sixth place on the overall leaderboard.

WARREN BARGUIL WON his second stage in the Pyrenees section of the Vuelta a Espana today thanks to a last-gasp lunge for the line, as Ireland’s Nicolas Roche gained six seconds on overall leader Vincenzo Nibali.

Roche finished 22nd, leaving him in sixth place overall, and three minutes and 43 seconds off the overall lead.

The Argos-Shimano rider crossed the line level with Team Sky’s Rigoberto Uran but took the stage with his dip on the line, NetApp-Endura’s Bartosz Huzarski claimed third three seconds back after seeing off the threat of BMC Racing’s Dominik Nerz.

Nibali remains in the red jersey but saw his lead cut to 28 seconds after a tiring stage from Graus to Sallent de Gallego.

The Italian was well placed going into the final part of the stage but was left isolated as Radioshack Leopard’s Christopher Horner and Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde moved away from him.

Horner remains in second place, while Valverde is one minute 14 seconds behind Astana’s Nibali.

Eight riders made the first breakaway from the peloton after just five kilometres, but they were never able to build up a substantial lead from the pack.

The leading group had swelled to 23 riders by the time the riders had climbed and descended Puerto de la Foradada.

They included Uran and Benat Inxtausti from Movistar, but with so many riders involved, the lead changed on a regular basis.

With 80 of the 146.8km stage remaining, the front group had stretched out a lead of one minute 22 seconds from the peloton, however Astana were keeping a close eye on them from the front of the chasing pack with Nibali well protected.

Belkin’s Juan Manuel Garate attempted to push clear on his own but seven other riders shadowed his every move, and slowly the front eight pushed on.

Garate was joined by Barguil, Uran, Amets Txurruka, Martin Kohler, Mikael Cherel, Inxtausti and Egoi Martinez in the small front group but Barguil was not content and broke clear on his own.

Having dropped all bar two of the breakaway, the 21-year-old Frenchman continued his quest for a second stage win of the tour by opening up a 34-second lead with 7km to go.

However, he began to tire as the gradient got steeper, and in the final kilometre, Uran caught him.

The Team Sky rider looked like he was going to take the stage but his presence was enough to give Barguil that extra bit of impetus and he took the victory on the line.

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