Quintana and his team mates enjoyed a glass of ‘cava' at the back of the peloton at the start of the stage, ridden at a leisurely pace. José Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) was the only non starter after sustaining a leg fracture in Saturday's final mountain stage.
Christian Knees (Sky) was the first rider to attack in the streets of Madrid.
The first real break took shape after Loic Chetout (Cofidis) jumped away from the pack, followed by Peter Kennaugh (Sky), Quentin Jauregui (ag2r-La Mondiale) and Koen Bouwmann (LottoNL-Jumbo).
The fugitives built a 1:05-advantage over the peloton led by Giant-Alpecin.
All the teams interested in a bunch sprint contributed to the chase. Chetout was the last rider to be reined in five kilometres from the line.
Orica-Bike Exchange went in the front of the bunch inside the final kilometre, perfectly setting up Nielsen for his second stage win in the race. Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) was second and Gianni Meersman (Etixx-Quick Step) came home third.
