The start was given at 13:39 to 191 riders. From the flag, Tsgabu Grmay (Lampre-Merida) parted company with the main pack. The first Ethiopian to take part in the Vuelta was joined a dozen kilometers later by Canada's Antoine Duchesne (Europcar) and Belgium's Iljo Keisse (Etixx-Quick Step). At the 50-km mark, the lead of the trio had stabilized at seven minutes, Giant-Alpecin making the most of the job at the front of the bunch.
As the lead was gradually going down, the main event before the last 50 km was a mechanical for Chris Froome, who was brought back into the bunch by Christian Knees and Vasil Kiriyenka. Orica-Greenedge, working both to preserve Chaves's red jersey and for sprinter Caleb Ewan, took turns at the front of the pack from Giant-Alpecin in the last 40 km.
While Grmay was unable to take turns in the break, he and Duchesne were finally pulled back 15 km from the finale in the intermediate sprint of the day, leaving Keisse to go solo. But with less than nine kilometers to go, the Belgian called it a day too as Ewan's team-mates were imposing a formidable tempo.
The finale was a tricky one, with a tight corner 650 metres from the line and a long uphill final stretch. It seemed as though Degenkolb, set-up by two of his team-mates, had the upper hand, then Sagan, when Ewan surged and found an extra gear in the last 200 metres to upset his elders in style.
