Vuelta a Espana 2013: Daily Stage Results, Updated Standings and Highlights

It may not have the panache of the Tour de France, but the Vuelta a Espana is one of the most beautiful and challenging events on the cycling calendar. 

This year's event has already promised to be an excellent, competitive affair, and with a little over a week of racing left the stage is set for a compelling finish.     

Here, you'll find an updated leaderboard and recaps on every stage. Enjoy.

Overall Leaderboard

Final Results

Position	Name		Team	Time	Deficit
1.	HORNER, Christopher		RADIOSHACK LEOPARD	84h 36' 04''	-
2.	NIBALI, Vincenzo		ASTANA PRO TEAM	84h 36' 41''	+ 37''
3.	VALVERDE, Alejandro		MOVISTAR TEAM	84h 37' 40''	+ 1' 36''
4.	RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin		KATUSHA TEAM	84h 39' 26''	+ 3' 22''
5.	ROCHE, Nicolas		TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF	84h 43' 15''	+ 7' 11''
6.	POZZOVIVO, Domenico		AG2R LA MONDIALE	84h 44' 04''	+ 8' 00''
7.	PINOT, Thibaut		FDJ.FR	84h 44' 45''	+ 8' 41''
8.	SANCHEZ, Samuel		EUSKALTEL EUSKADI	84h 45' 55''	+ 9' 51''
9.	KONIG, Leopold		TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA	84h 46' 15''	+ 10' 11''
10.	MORENO, Daniel		KATUSHA TEAM	84h 49' 15''	+ 13' 11''

Full standings via the La Vuelta website.   

Stage 21 Results

Position	Name		Team	Time	Deficit
1.	MATTHEWS, Michael		ORICA GREENEDGE	2h 44' 00''	-
2.	FARRAR, Tyler		GARMIN SHARP	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
3.	ARNDT, Nikias		TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
4.	MEERSMAN, Gianni		OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
5.	RICHEZE, Maximiliano Ariel		LAMPRE-MERIDA	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
6.	BOLE, Grega		VACANSOLEIL-DCM PRO CYCLING TEAM	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
7.	PETIT, Adrien		COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CRÉDITS	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
8.	JANSE VAN RENSBURG, Reinardt		TEAM ARGOS-SHIMANO	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
9.	LASCA, Francesco		CAJA RURAL - SEGUROS RGA	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
10.	WAGNER, Robert		BELKIN-PRO CYCLING TEAM	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
11.	HAEDO, Lucas Sebastián		CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
12.	RATTO, Daniele		CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
13.	BOASSON HAGEN, Edvald		SKY PROCYCLING	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
14.	URAN, Rigoberto		SKY PROCYCLING	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
15.	LODEWYCK, Klaas		BMC RACING TEAM	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
16.	DEMPSTER, Zakkari		TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
17.	VAN DER SANDE, Tosh		LOTTO BELISOL	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''
18.	ROUX, Anthony		FDJ.FR	2h 44' 00''	+ 0''

Results via La Vuelta's website. 

Christopher Horner has won the 2013 Vuelta a Espana. 

Michael Matthews won the final stage of the race, overcoming a final pack of 17 other riders to steal a stage win, but the day belonged to Horner, who essentially was on a victory lap after securing his win on Saturday. He finished in the peleton, three seconds off the lead pack, cruising to overall victory through the streets of Madrid.   

Alejandro Valverde won the points competition, while Nicolas Edet took the climbing title.

Horner made his move in Stage 18, cutting Vincenzo Nibali's overall lead to three seconds. He leapfrogged in Stage 19, taking a three-second lead of his own, before ending the proceedings with an impressive ride in the 20th Stage, extending his lead to a decisive 37 seconds. 

Horner was never in doubt of losing that advantage in the sprint to Madrid, needing only to keep pace with the peleton to ensure his victory. At 41 years of age, he's the oldest winner in race history.

Stage 20 Results

Position	Name		Team	Time	Deficit
1.	ELISSONDE, Kenny		FDJ.FR	3h 55' 36''	-
2.	HORNER, Christopher		RADIOSHACK LEOPARD	3h 56' 02''	+ 26''
3.	VALVERDE, Alejandro		MOVISTAR TEAM	3h 56' 30''	+ 54''
4.	NIBALI, Vincenzo		ASTANA PRO TEAM	3h 56' 30''	+ 54''
5.	CARDOSO, Andre		CAJA RURAL - SEGUROS RGA	3h 56' 30''	+ 54''
6.	NERZ, Dominik		BMC RACING TEAM	3h 56' 30''	+ 54''
7.	MENDES, José Joao		TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA	3h 56' 51''	+ 1' 15''
8.	RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin		KATUSHA TEAM	3h 57' 21''	+ 1' 45''
9.	PAUWELS, Serge		OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM	3h 57' 28''	+ 1' 52''
10.	PINOT, Thibaut		FDJ.FR	3h 57' 35''	+ 1' 59''
11.	ARROYO, David		CAJA RURAL - SEGUROS RGA	3h 57' 35''	+ 1' 59''

Results via La Vuelta's website.

Kenny Elissonde may have won Stage 20 on Saturday, but the story of the day was Christopher Horner, who finished in second place and extended his overall lead to 37 seconds over Vincenzo Nibali.

Barring an absolute meltdown on Sunday, Horner is going to win the Vuelta a Espana, preventing Nibali from repeating as champion. 

A group of Nibali, Horner, Jacob Fuglsang, Joaquin Rodriguez and Paolo Tiralongo settled behind leader Elissonde late in the race. Nibali tried to make several moves, but Horner always seemed to provide an answer and made his move with a few kilometers remaining, leaving Nibali behind.

Alejandro Valverde looks safe atop the points competition, currently at 152, with Horner in second at 126 and Joaquin Rodriguez in third at 125. 

Nicolas Edet remained atop the climbing classification, taking eight points on two mountain climbs to bring his total to 46 points, 14 points ahead of second-place Horner. 

As was expected, the grueling, mountainous Stage 20 proved to be decisive in the overall race, with Horner all but wrapping things up ahead of Sunday. The final stage will be a 99-kilometer jaunt through the streets of Madrid, essentially a victor's tour for Horner. 

Stage 19 Results

Position	Name		Team	Time	Deficit
1.	RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin		KATUSHA TEAM	4h 16' 13''	-
2.	ULISSI, Diego		LAMPRE-MERIDA	4h 16' 24''	+ 11''
3.	MORENO, Daniel		KATUSHA TEAM	4h 16' 24''	+ 11''
4.	SANCHEZ, Samuel		EUSKALTEL EUSKADI	4h 16' 24''	+ 11''
5.	HORNER, Christopher		RADIOSHACK LEOPARD	4h 16' 27''	+ 14''
6.	VALVERDE, Alejandro		MOVISTAR TEAM	4h 16' 27''	+ 14''
7.	SCARPONI, Michele		LAMPRE-MERIDA	4h 16' 29''	+ 16''
8.	KONIG, Leopold		TEAM NETAPP-ENDURA	4h 16' 33''	+ 20''
9.	NIBALI, Vincenzo		ASTANA PRO TEAM	4h 16' 33''	+ 20''
10.	ROCHE, Nicolas		TEAM SAXO-TINKOFF	4h 16' 36''	+ 23''

Full Results via La Vuelta website

A new leader emerged at the Vuelta a Espana after Stage 19, as Christopher Horner of the United States leapfrogged Vincenzo Nibali and took a three-second overall lead after finishing fifth on the day. Joaquin Rodriguez took the stage by 11 seconds. 

Diego Ulissi and Daniel Moreno finished tied in second at 11 seconds back, with Ulissi just crossing the line first. 

Rodriguez made his move in the final kilometer, bursting past the peleton and taking home a convincing victory. His 25 points for the stage win put him third in that competition with a total of 117, behind Alejandro Valverde (136) and Nicolas Roche (122). 

Edvald Boasson Hagen had a productive afternoon, winning both intermediate sprints (eight points) and also earning three climbing points on the Alto de San Emiliano mountain pass. Georg Preidler won the Alto de la Manzaneda climb, while Rodriguez won the Alto del Naranc climb. 

With just two stages remaining, the scene is set for a close, compelling finish over the weekend. The race now turns to Stage 20, a grueling and legendary climb that will finish at the Alto de l’Angliru. Saturday very well could be the definitive stage of this race, with plenty of contenders still in the running. 

Stage 18 Results

While Team Sky Procycling’s Vasil Kiryienka took home the victory on Stage 18 Thursday with an impressive time of 4:46:48, it was the battle for the overall classification lead that has stolen the headlines.

Team Astana's Vincenzo Nibali still maintains the red jersey with an overall time of 73:39:35, but American Chris Horner of Team Radioshack-Leopard has closed the lead to just three seconds.

With just three stages remaining, the end of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana is going to be wild.

Stage 18 was a fierce 187 kilometer run up the mountains from Burgos to Peña Cabarga, and featured some beautiful backdrops for intense on-course action.

While the classification lead is the talk of the sport, Kiryienka deserves immense credit for a stellar run.

Second-place finisher Chris Anker Sörensen of Team Saxo-Tinkoff was the closest to Thursday’s winner, 28 seconds behind, and third-place finisher Adam Hansen of Team Lotto Belisol finished 1:18 behind the stage winner.

Martin Kohler (+1:34) and Egoi Martinez De Esteban (+1:42) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The mainstream battle came when Horner managed an impressive run and finished sixth. Nibali ran well through Stage 18, but finished 10th and lost what little lead he had left in the general classification.

Stage 19 will be a 181-kilometer mountain course that takes the cyclists from San Vicente de la Barquera to Oviedo Alto del Naranco. With the red jersey very much in play and climbers still trying to make a name for themselves, Friday is the perfect setup for this weekend’s finale.

Stage 18 Top 10 Finishers

Place	Riders	Team	Time
1	Vasil Kiryienka	Sky Procycling	4:46:48
2	Chris Anker Sörensen	Team Saxo-Tinkoff	+0:28
3	Adam Hansen	Lotto Belisol	+1:18
4	Martin Kohler	BMC Racing Team	+1:34
5	Egoi Martinez De Esteban	Euskaltel-Euskadi	+1:42
6	Christopher Horner	RadioShack Leopard	+1:53
7	Amets Txurruka	Caja Rural	+2:02
8	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver	Katusha Team	+2:13
9	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte	Movistar Team	+2:13
10	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana Pro Team	+2:18

Full updated standings can be found via LaVuelta.com.

While Team Sky Procycling’s Vasil Kiryienka took home the victory on Stage 18 Thursday with an impressive time of         4:46:48, it was the battle for the overall classification lead that has stolen the headlines.

Team Astana of Vincenzo Nibali still maintains the red jersey with an overall time of 73:39:35, but American Chris Horner of Team Radioshack-Leopard has closed the lead to just three seconds.

With just three stages remaining, the end of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana is going to be wild.

Stage 18 was a fierce 187 kilometer run up the mountains from Burgos to Peña Cabarga, and featured some beautiful backdrops for intense on-course action. While the classification lead is the talk of the sport, Kiryienka deserves immense credit for a stellar run.

Second-place finisher Chris Anker Sörensen of Team Saxo-Tinkoff was the closest to Thursday’s winner with a time of 28 seconds behind, and third-place finisher Adam Hansen of Team Lotto Belisol finished 1:18 behind the stage winner.

Martin Kohler (+1:34) and Egoi Martinez De Esteban (+1:42) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The battle came when Horner managed an impressive run and finished sixth. Nibali ran well through Stage 18, but finished 10th and lost what little lead he had left in the general classification.

Stage 19 will be a 181-kilometer mountain course that takes the cyclists from San Vicente de la Barquera to Oviedo Alto del Naranco. With the red jersey very much in play and climbers still trying to make a name for themselves, Friday is the perfect setup for this weekend’s finale.

Stage 17 Results

With only a few days remaining in La Vuelta a Espana, Bauke Mollema made his push toward the top with his first stage victory of the event.

The Dutch rider took advantage of the relatively flat stage, although many of the riders struggled to keep up against the difficult crosswinds. However, this was not a problem for Mollema, who finished on top of the 189-kilometer course from Calahorra to Burgos.

Edvald Boasson Hagen finished second and Maximiliano Ariel Richeze took third, although each of the top 32 riders will receive the same time of four hours, 44 minutes and 28 seconds.

This steadiness at the top will allow Vincenzo Nibali to keep his overall lead in La Vuelta after finishing in 14th place. He remains 28 seconds ahead of Christopher Horner in second place.

Nicolas Edet holds onto the polka-dot jersey for climbing, while Alejandro Valverde retains his green jersey for points. 

Things get much tougher for the competitors on Thursday with a mountainous Stage 18. There are five peaks on the course, ending in Pena Cabarga. If anyone wants to try to catch Nibali, this will be one of the few remaining chances to get it done.

Stage 17 Results (via LaVuelta.com)

Place	Riders	Team	Time
1	Bauke Mollema	Belkin-Pro Cycling Team	4:44:28
2	Edvald Boasson Hagen	Sky Procycling	+0:00
3	Maximiliano Ariel Richeze	Lampre-Merida	+0:00
4	Tyler Farrar	Garmin Sharp	+0:00
5	Fabian Cancellera	Radioshack Leopard	+0:00
6	Grega Bole	Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	+0:00
7	Luca Paolini	Katusha Team	+0:00
8	Paul Voss	Team Netapp-Endura	+0:00
9	Jose Herrada	Movistar Team	+0:00
10	Nicolas Roche	Team Saxo-Tinkoff	+0:00

Full updated standings can be found via LaVuelta.com.

Stage 16 Results

Stage 16 was another amazing chapter in this year’s Vuelta a Espana that featured Warren Barguil of Team Argos-Shimano winning his second stage of the event and beating the 147 kilometer mountain portion with a time of 3:43:31.

Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky Procycling mounted a charge toward the end of the event and pushed Barguil to his limit. Uran ultimately took second place with an identical time.

Bartosz Huzarski of Team NetApp-Endura managed to finished third (three second behind the lead duo), Dominik Nerz of BMC Racing Team finished fourth and Jose Herrada Lopez Movistar Team rounded out the top 5.

The big story of Stage 16 was general classification leader Vincenzo Nibali of Astana Pro Team losing time to second-place cyclist Christopher Horner of Team RadioShack Leopard.

Nibali still has the overall lead with a time of 64:06:01, but Horner is now just 28 seconds behind. This race is just starting to get interesting.

Tuesday will be a rest day. The riders will ready themselves for Stage 17 on Wednesday, a 189 kilometer sprint from Calahorra to Burgos.

Stage 16 Top 10 Finishers

1	Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Argos-Shimano	3:43:31
2	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
3	Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp-Endura	0:00:03
4	Dominik Nerz (Ger) BMC Racing Team	0:00:08
5	José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:20
6	Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:00:37
7	Maciej Paterski (Pol) Cannondale Pro Cycling
8	Andre Fernando S. Martins Cardoso (Por) Caja Rural	0:00:40
9	Amets Txurruka (Spa) Caja Rural	0:00:42
10	Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo-Tinkoff	0:00:45

Full standings via La Vuelta's website.

Stage 15 Results

Stage 15 Top 10 Finishers

1	Alexandre Geniez (Fra) FDJ.fr	6:20:12
2	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-Merida	0:03:03
3	Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Saxo-Tinkoff	0:03:07
4	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:03:20
5	Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
6	Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack Leopard
7	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha
8	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
9	José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team	0:03:23
10	David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA

Standings via La Vuelta's website.

French cyclist Alexandre Geniez was able to hold on to a dominating run through the field on Stage 15 Sunday and win the grueling 225 kilometer run through the mountains from Andorra to Peyragudes.

The mountain stage is arguably the hardest of the entire event, but Geniez was able to manage a time of 6:20:12.

Second place finisher Michele Scarponi of Team Lampre-Merida ended the stag 3:02 minutes behind the winner and Nicolas Roche of Team Saxo-Tinkoff finished 3:07 off the lead to take third.

Vincenzo Nibali of Team Astana maintained his overall classification lead (50 seconds ahead of Chris Horner) with a strong fourth-place finish. Horner has made his way up to second in the overall standings, just ahead of Alejandro Valverde who sits in third.

There is not rest for the cyclists as Stage 16 approaches. The 147 kilometer mountain course will once again push the competitors to their limit and provide excellent racing.

Stage 14 Results

Place	Name	Time	Deficit
1.	RATTO, Daniele	4h 24' 00''
2.	NIBALI, Vincenzo	4h 27' 53''	+ 3' 53''
3.	HORNER, Christopher	4h 27' 55''	+ 3' 55''
4.	RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin	4h 28' 11''	+ 4' 11''
5.	SANCHEZ, Samuel	4h 28' 19''	+ 4' 19''
6.	VALVERDE, Alejandro	4h 28' 43''	+ 4' 43''
7.	PINOT, Thibaut	4h 28' 46''	+ 4' 46''
8.	POZZOVIVO, Domenico	4h 28' 46''	+ 4' 46''
9.	LANDA, Mikel	4h 29' 17''	+ 5' 17''
10.	KONIG, Leopold	4h 29' 21''	+ 5' 21''

Standings via La Vuelta's website.

Daniele Ratto won the 14th Stage in convincing fashion on Saturday, pulling away from the pack after the Port de Envalira mountain climb and winning by three minutes and 53 seconds over Vincenzo Nibali. 

Nibali extended his overall lead, however, and now leads Christopher Horner by 50 seconds. Nicolas Roche had a rough go of it on the day, falling to fifth place overall after coming into the day in second. 

But Ratto was dominant on the day, finishing second in the Andorra la Vella and Canillo sprints, third in the Port de Envalira climb and first in the Coll de Ordino, Alto de la Comella and Andorra climbs. He is now the leader in the climbing competition with 30 points. 

Meanwhile, Alejandro Valverde overtook Daniel Moreno atop the points competition with 102 points. 

The race now turns to Stage 15, a 230-kilometer journey that runs from Andorra to the Peyragudes mountain pass. It should be another challenging stage that further separates the top contenders from the pack (and perhaps further separates the top contenders, as well).

Stage 13 Results

Place	Name	Time	Deficit
1.	BARGUIL, Warren	4h 00' 13''
2.	NOCENTINI, Rinaldo	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
3.	MOLLEMA, Bauke	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
4.	SANTAROMITA, Ivan	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
5.	ZANDIO, Xabier	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
6.	TXURRUKA, Amets	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
7.	SCARPONI, Michele	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
8.	MARTÍNEZ, Egoi	4h 00' 20''	+ 7''
9.	COPPEL, Jerome	4h 00' 37''	+ 24''
10.	INTXAUSTI, Beñat	4h 02' 47''	+ 2' 34''

Standings via La Vuelta's website.

Warren Barguil broke free from a pack including Rinaldo Nocentini, Egoi Martinez, Xabier Zandio, Ivan Santaromita, Jerome Coppel, Michele Scarponi, Bauke Mollema and Amets Txurruka in the final kilometer, winning the 13th Stage by a decisive seven seconds. 

The group formed ahead of the peleton with about two kilometers remaining, but it was Barguil who made the final push and earned the victory.

Vincenzo Nibaldi remains atop the leaderboard, while Nicolas Roche remains in second place with a 31-second deficit. Daniel Moreno remains atop the point competition with 98.

Diego Ulissi won the first climb of the day, the Alto del Collet, while Michele Scarponi took the second at Alto del Rat Penat (worth an impressive 10 points). Vasil Kiryienka triumphed at the Les Botigues de Sitges Intermediate Sprint, while Scarponi added to his point total by winning the Sant Pere de Ribes Intermediate Sprint.

The race now turns to the Pyrenees for Stage 14 on Saturday, with the breathtaking Collada de la Gallina mountain pass that will both challenge the riders and offer some wonderful racing and beautiful scenery for spectators. 

Stage 12 Results

Place	Name	Time	Deficit
1.	GILBERT, Philippe	4h 03' 44''	-
2.	BOASSON HAGEN, Edvald	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
3.	RICHEZE, Maximiliano Ariel	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
4.	PAOLINI, Luca	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
5.	MEERSMAN, Gianni	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
6.	LASCA, Francesco	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
7.	CHAINEL, Steve	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
8.	JANSE VAN RENSBURG, Reinardt	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
9.	ROUX, Anthony	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''
10.*	DEMPSTER, Zakkari	4h 03' 44''	+ 0''

* 35 additional riders finished with a time of four hours, three minutes and 44 seconds.

Standings via La Vuelta's website.

Philippe Gilbert beat the peloton to win Stage 12 at the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday, but Vincenzo Nibali maintained his place atop the overall leaderboard. 

The 25 points put Gilbert back in the running for the overall points competition, though he is in sixth place and still trails overall leader Daniel Moreno (97) by 37 points.

The early breakaway pack took the first points on the Alto del Collet moutain result, as Romain Zingle, Fabricio Ferrari and Cedric Pineau remained ahead of the peloton in the early going. Pineau would fall off the pace after the climb, however, and was replaced in the lead group by Jussi Veikkanen.

At about 146 kilometers, however, the peloton finally caught the break, allowing Ivan Basso to take the four points in the Port Aventura Intermediate Sprint. 

From there, Tony Martin would try to jump ahead of the pack but would be caught about 10 kilometers later, setting up a final finish with several contenders making their push to cross the line first. Gilbert would prevail with a strong sprint, edging the pack.