Marchi wins stage

ALTO CAMPOO: Italian Alessandro De Marchi claimed victory on the longest stage of this year’s Vuelta on Saturday as his compatriot Fabio Aru retained the leader’s red jersey.

De Marchi was part of a five-man breakaway group that was never in danger of being caught by the peloton and proved the strongest on the climb to the finish of the 215km stage from Vitoria to the ski station of Alto Campoo from another Italian Salvatore Puccio and Spain’s Jose Joaquin Rojas.

Aru finished ninth of the stage to stay 26 seconds ahead of Joaquim Rodriguez with Tom Dumoulin now 49 seconds adrift of the leader in third.