Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana finally deliver full-on battle we've been waiting for
On-form Nairo Quintana got the better of Tour de France winner Chris Froome on the 2016 Vuelta a España's first mountain test
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

It failed to materialise in the Tour de France, but in the Vuelta a España's Lagos de Covadonga summit finish on Monday, fans finally saw the full-on battle they had been waiting for between grand tour stars Chris Froome and Colombian Nairo Quintana.
Team Sky’s Froome showed a moment of weakness and Movistar’s Quintana, showing a riding style that was smooth as silk, powered away. Once Froome rebounded, it became an individual pursuit over the remaining six kilometres to the lake at top.
“As it is now, I consider Froome the number one favourite,” Quintana said after taking the red jersey and his first Vuelta a España stage win.
“I find it difficult to understand his racing style, but little by little, we are understanding the tricks of his strategy, and we hope to find a way to open even more advantage on him.”
>>> Chris Froome explains the ride that kept him in Vuelta a España contention
Quintana, second twice and third this year in the Tour de France behind Froome, won the stage. He took 31 seconds on Froome, who admitted that he feels the Tour de France, the Olympics and the rest of the season in his legs.
He now leads the overall by 57 seconds over his Movistar team-mate Alejandro Valverde and 58 seconds over Froome going in to the first rest day on Tuesday. Esteban Chaves (Orica-BikeExchange) sits at 2-09 and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) at 2-54.
>>> Five talking points from Vuelta a España stage 10
It does not immediately look great for Froome, but those wanting the ding-dong must leave Monday's stage content. Froome's superiority and Quintana's failure to show up with his A-game in the Tour de France this July left some bored by the yellow jersey battle. This time around, Quintana appears at his best and Froome at a level below what fans saw in France.
Now, Quintana has his first Vuelta a España stage win to add to those from the Tour and Giro, where he won the overall in 2014.
"I have always been confident about my capacities," Quintana said. "Sometimes I was better, sometimes not so good, but now I am feeling better than he is, and that fills me with a lot of confidence."
More of the same duels should come as Quintana will fight to get every minute possible before starting stage 19, the 37-kilometre time trial in the third week.
“I'm going to need three minutes when I arrive to the time trial,” Quintana said. “Froome is still very close, especially when you look at what lies ahead, so we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing, to distance him even more."
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
-
Bikes of the Atlas Mountain Race 2023: from comfort gravellers to speed weapons, here’s what caught our eye
Covering 1,300km / 800mi of Morocco’s gravel roads and mountain passes, the Atlas Mountain Race demands a tech-heavy approach for its 3+ days of bikepacking racing
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
British champion Cameron Mason hoping for rain at Cyclo-cross World Championships
British national champion says patience will be the key in what’s expected to be a fast race in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Where next for Mark Cavendish after B & B Hotels-KTM's collapse?
We look at where the ‘Manx Missile’ could find himself next after the collapse of B & B Hotels-KTM
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Chris Froome highlights dangers of long Covid after battle with virus
Four-time Tour de France champion warns of cardiovascular impact and says his VO2 max took a hit after illness
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Where next for Nairo Quintana? Colombian claims he'll still be at WorldTour races
Bahrain-Victorious say no, Movistar are full, Astana-Qazaqstan and AG2R-Citroën have already denied interest
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Chris Froome labels WorldTour relegation a ‘death sentence for many teams’
Four-time Tour de France winner says UCI points system needs overhaul as Israel-PremierTech face relegation from the WorldTour
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Nairo Quintana’s Tour de France tramadol disqualification upheld
CAS uphold the UCI decision to disqualify the Colombian after painkiller detected in blood tests
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Chris Froome still holds out hope for fifth Tour de France win
Israel-Premier Tech rider says the dream is "always there"
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Nairo Quintana to leave Arkéa-Samsic, six weeks after signing new contract
The Colombian is currently appealing his Tour de France disqualification
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Chris Froome out of Tour de France after positive Covid-19 test result
Four-time winner and third on Alpe d’Huez stage forced to abandon on stage 18
By Tom Thewlis • Published