Vuelta a Espana 2015: Results, Highlights and Standings After Friday's Stage 7

Bert-Jan Lindeman finished solo at the summit of the Alto de Capileira to win Stage 7 of the Vuelta a Espana, while Fabio Aru was the big winner in the standings, dropping all of his competitors for the overall win and taking third place Friday.

The Italian attacked inside the final kilometre and blew just about everyone out of the water, including Tour de France winner Chris Froome, who was dropped almost immediately and lost significant time on his opponents. Here are the results from Friday's stage, courtesy of the Inner Ring:

And here are the current standings:

Fans finally got their first look at the form of the favourites for the general classification Friday, as Stage 7 featured the first high-mountain finish. Scorching temperatures further complicated the climb, as broadcaster Robert Hatch noted:

"

Today's #Vuelta finish deceptive. Climb %'s nothing out of ordinary BUT length (21km), extreme heat & Colle delle Finestre style final 500m.

— Robert Hatch (@robhatchtv) August 28, 2015"

With Astana controlling the pace in the peloton for Aru, an early break of five riders got out to a massive lead during the middle parts of the stage. Carlos Quintero, Amets Txurruka, Ilia Koshevoy, Lindeman and Jerome Cousin held an incredible lead of 12 minutes at the summit of the Puerto de Blancares, and things were looking up for a surprising stage winner.

Movistar and Katusha pushed the pace at the front of the pack, and by the time the leaders arrived at the base of the final climb of the day, the Alto de Capileira, their lead had gone down to just six minutes.

The Alto de Capileira had never been climbed in the Vuelta before, and VeloViewer was kind enough to show the fans what the peloton would have to face:

Movistar took control of the proceedings, trying to lay the groundwork for a win for Alejandro Valverde or Nairo Quintana. Valverde, in particular, seemed eager to prove his worth, having spent much of his life training in the Sierra Nevada.

With the Spanish side working hard, the hopes of the riders at the front started to fade. In no time at all, their lead had gone down to four minutes, and none of the favourites in the peloton had yet to place an attack.

Andrew Hood of VeloNews didn't like their chances of upsetting the odds:

Riders started to drop out of the peloton, but the favourites all managed to survive the first sections of the climb relatively comfortably.

At the front, Cousin placed an attack just as the group reached the steeper sections of the climb, but Astana were now pushing hard in the peloton, reducing the gap significantly. Koshevoy was the next to try his luck, and he managed to drop his companions temporarily, before Cousin bridged the gap.

The two started to show signs of fatigue, allowing Lindeman to return as well, but with three kilometres left to go, their lead looked safe, given the favourites' reluctance to attack their direct competition for the red jersey.

VeloHuman couldn't understand why Joaquim Rodriguez wasn't trying his luck: 

Cousin and Lindeman managed to drop Koshevoy, but the two looked exhausted going into the final kilometre. In the peloton, Dan Martin finally broke the deadlock, and to the shock of fans watching all over the world, Tour de France winner Froome was immediately dropped.

The Brit is trying to become the first man to do the Tour-Vuelta double in the same year since legendary cyclist Bernard Hinault (1978), and Friday's stage was another reminder of why it hasn't been done for so long―it's nearly impossible.

Lindeman managed to hold on for the win after Cousin cracked, and the Frenchman saw Koshevoy and an unleashed Aru pass him in the final straight. The Italian made a great impression Friday and has to be considered among the favourites to win this year's Vuelta. 

Things aren't looking up for Froome, however, per Andrew Hood:

The 30-year-old is still recovering from the Tour de France, and it showed Friday, as his legs lacked the spring to keep up with the top climbers. While he managed to limit his losses, it's clear Froome isn't ready to do battle in the high mountains, and the likes of Aru and Rodriguez know it.

Meanwhile, Lindeman was over the moon with his unexpected win, calling it the most important result of his career, per Cycling News' live blog of the stage:

"

With the finish uphill, there were lots of general classification guys, Ilia [Koshevoy] was very strong, I’m very happy I could make the victory.

[Is it the most important in your career?] Yes I think so, it’s really, really special. In the beginning of the season we [LottoNL-Jumbo] had lots of bad luck with the guys. But we still fight, every race is important, now we have the victory and that’s really nice.

"

Saturday's stage will be a tricky affair, as the peloton will spend most of the day descending before twice scaling the Alto de la Cresta del Gallo inside the final 40 kilometres. The finish is suited well for sprinters, but the heaviest guys in the peloton will find it difficult to keep up on the steep and technical ascent.

If someone like Peter Sagan can keep up with the stronger climbers, he'll be the favourite to take the win in a sprint. But don't be shocked if a group of riders break away on the final climb and hold on until the finish line in Murcia.

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