Vuelta a Espana: Philippe Gilbert wins stage 17 as Nairo Quintana moves second

11th Sep 2019 | Source: BBC

Phillipe Gilbert finished stage 17 with a time of four hours, 20 minutes, 15 seconds

Philippe Gilbert won stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana as favourite Nairo Quintana moved up to second in the general classification.

Belgian Gilbert was part of a 40-man break which benefited from strong crosswinds to get clear of the peloton.

Irishman Sam Bennett made the jump to Gilbert with 500m to go but settled for second with Remi Cavagna third.

A fine day for Quintana saw him finish five minutes 19 seconds ahead of leader Primoz Roglic to move up to second.

Quintana started the day in sixth, seven minutes and 43 seconds down on Roglic, but found himself in the early break with Dutchman Wilco Kelderman and Britain's James Knox.

The Colombian moved ahead of Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde on Wednesday's 219.6km stage from Aranda de Duero to Guadalajara.

Quintana's performance now means he moves to within two minutes and 24 seconds of Team Jumbo-Visma's Roglic.

Wednesday's race was the first after a rest day, with Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart missing out on his first stage win in a Grand Tour on Monday as Jakob Fuglsang won stage 16.

Stage 18 on Thursday is a mountainous 177.5km ride from Colmenar Viejo to Becerril de la Sierra.