Vuelta a Espana 2015: Stage 15 Results, Overall Standings and Highlights

Joaquim Rodriguez came agonisingly close to grabbing the lead in the 2015 Vuelta a Espana's overall standings on Sunday, winning Stage 15 in dominant fashion. The Katusha man seemed certain to overtake Fabio Aru in the general classification but fell one second short.

The favourites spent the day doing very little before exploding on the final climb, where Aru started to struggle in the final kilometres. He did well to counter Rodriguez's initial attack but couldn't keep up on the steeper sections. Heading into the final day of climbing before Tuesday's rest day, Rodriguez now looks like the favourite to win this year's Vuelta.

Here are the results from Sunday's stage, as well as the new standings:

Sunday's stage was all about the Alto de Sostres, the final climb that featured several steep sections that would shake up the general classification significantly. The peloton had little interest chasing after early breaks, knowing full well what lay ahead, but there were a few riders attempting a break, regardless.

A small group eventually managed to build a lead of five minutes, which was never going to be enough once the climbing started. Movistar pushed the peloton to a hellish pace in the final kilometres before the climb, trying to set up Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde.

Cycling blogger Mihai Cazacu was impressed by the team's solid work:

Meanwhile, Tour de France winner Chris Froome was enjoying life, although he would have preferred to race on Sunday:

By the time the peloton reached the base of the climb, the leaders' advantage had shrunk to just over a minute, and with the likes of Rodriguez, Quintana and Aru eager to attack, the cameras shifted toward the group containing the favourites.

Astana moved to the front of the group after Movistar dropped, and Quintana immediately launched an attack. None of the other favourites joined in, but the Colombian managed to thin out the peloton significantly before dropping back into the group.

VeloHuman's Dane Cash loved the aggression the Movistar man showed, although he questioned whether it was smart:

Tom Dumoulin struggled on the steeper sections of Saturday's final climb, and he did so again on Sunday, immediately dropping out of the favourites group. The Dutchman is a super time trialist, but after two days of climbing and the worst still to come on Monday, his bid to win the Vuelta seems all but over.

Veteran rider Haimar Zubeldia was all that was left from the early break by this time, leading by 58 seconds when Quintana attacked. With Astana calming things down behind him, he managed to steadily build a lead, sending social media into a frenzy. Science to Sport's John Wakefield was on the edge of his seat:

The 38-year-old has been a top domestique his entire career, the kind of underappreciated rider who is vital to every team. Fans may remember the days where he did phenomenal work for Iban Mayo in the Tour, but memories of big wins are likely scarce―he has virtually none.

Riders like that don't often make headlines, so seeing him ride all alone in front of everyone with a camera on him at all times was a shock to some fans:

Unfortunately for Zubeldia, Movistar returned to the front of the chasing group, and Aru's men upped the pace as well, bridging the gap in a hurry. Astana really put in a superb shift for Aru, ensuring no one was able to attack before the steepest sections in the final two kilometres.

Mikel Nieve tried his luck, and as the Spaniard moved out of the saddle,  Aru started to push a remarkably big gear. Fortunately for the race leader, the pace dropped as soon as the group overtook Zubeldia, allowing him to catch his breath.

The group seemed focused more on putting time on Dumoulin, with an eye on the upcoming time trial, but Rodriguez had other ideas, launching an attack out of nowhere. Rafal Majka and Aru managed to follow the Spaniard, quickly building a lead over Quintana, via VeloVoices:

Rodriguez dropped Aru and looked set to take the red jersey thanks to the bonus seconds, but the Italian managed to limit his losses and just edge the Katusha man for the lead in the classification. The stage went to Rodriguez, however, and he'll love his chances of grabbing the lead on Monday.

As things stand, Rodriguez and Aru are the clear favourites to win the red jersey, although Dumoulin's time-trial abilities shouldn't be underestimated. If he can limit his losses on Monday, Wednesday's time trial could very well decide the entire race.

As shared by cycling commentator Jose Been, the Dutchman knew he would lose time in the mountains and doesn't appear too worried:

The toughest of the three mountain stages is yet to come, as Monday's stage is littered with categorised climbs, culminating with the ascent of the Alto Ermita de Alba. The course follows the path usually reserved for the Angliru, and while cycling fans will be disappointed that monstrosity wasn't selected for this year's Vuelta, the new climb is not a bad alternative.

Ermita de Alba isn't very long but is ridiculously steep, with certain hairpin turns hitting a staggering 30 percent gradient. With two weeks of racing already in the legs, this climb could become a nightmare for the riders who are no longer fresh.

The riders will enjoy their second rest day on Tuesday. 

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