• British rider rides clear of rivals on ascent to Les Praeres • Yates reclaims red jersey with Alejandro Valverde second

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Simon Yates has reclaimed the leader’s red jersey at the Vuelta a España, holding off a group of his rivals for the overall title to take a statement stage victory on the final climb at Les Praeres.

Yates was part of a heavyweight group – including Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde, Thibaut Pinot and Miguel Ángel López – that took control of the stage on the narrow, winding ascent to the stage 14 finish line in Asturias.

Yates made his move with some 700m to go, breaking clear with neither López or Valverde able to respond – both finishing two seconds behind the stage winner.

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The well-crafted victory sees the British rider move into a 20-second overall lead ahead of Movistar rider Valverde, with Nairo Quintana, who could only manage fifth on the final climb, down in third place five seconds further back.

That meant Yates regained the overall race lead ahead of Valverde and Quintana, who are 20 and 25 seconds behind the British rider respectively. The previous leader, Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), fell out of contention during the 171km stage which took in five categorised climbs.

Earlier in the day, there had been a six-man breakaway which included Team Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski, with the lead on the peloton at around three minutes and 43 seconds heading into the final 75km. As it was reeled in, Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) made a late move but could not sustain the pace before Yates timed his attack to perfection on the steep slopes.

As the Movistar due of Valverde and Quintana waited for López to make his move, Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) struck, riding clear and holding off the Astana rider’s late charge to seal a statement victory.

Sunday looks set to be one of the race’s toughest days, with the riders travelling 178.2km and crossing four climbs to another mountain finish at the Lakes of Covadonga.