Mikel Landa continues to sit in the top ten overall at his home Grand Tour.
La Vuelta returned on the flat for the fifth stage, which travelled from Fuente del Mestre to Sevilla. The Andalusian city, which thrived five centuries ago due to its status as the port of entry and exit for all the Indies trade, controlling the wealth transported to the New World, made its return at the race 14 years from the previous time it hosted a stage, a team time trial which kicked off the 65th edition.
The stage concluded around ten kilometers from Mairena del Aljarafe, where Zdenek Stybar – clad in the Czech National Champion jersey – fooled the sprinters in 2013, winning a two-man sprint. This time, the peloton kept things together and the day came down to a mass gallop, won by Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich) after a tight finish.
T-Rex Quick-Step’s leader Mikel Landa punctured on the long finishing straight, but as this happened in the last three kilometers, he got the same time as the rest of the peloton, meaning he retained his place in the general classification top ten ahead of Thursday’s uphill finish in Yunquera.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
