MADRID, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma) won an incredible 15th stage of the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race on Sunday that had drama for the stage win and overall lead of the race.
The rider from what is effectively a "second division" team claimed his second stage of the race after holding off Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) on the slopes of the Cuitu Negru climb.
The final climb of a 143-kilometer stage was over 18 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.4 percent, but with a final three kilometers with ramps that touched a brutal 24 percent.
Castrillo formed part of a six-man breakaway that got three minutes ahead of the group containing overall leader Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Enrich Mas (Movistar).
The Spanish rider was accompanied by Vlasov and Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates) as they reached the last three kilometers when he launched his attack, sprinting up a gradient of well over 10 percent.
Sivakov was left behind while Vlasov slowly but surely ground his way back until he and Castrillo were shoulder to shoulder as they advanced at little more than walking pace.
Both riders' faces reflected the agony of their efforts but Castrillo had enough to reopen a precious lead of 5 meters and then 10 meters to win an incredible stage.
Back on the slopes, O'Connor slowly ceded time to Roglic, who had stopped with 22 kilometers left to ride to change the bike he had ridden for the first 120 kilometers of the stage for one with a single chain ring.
Mas worked his way ahead of Roglic with two kilometers left, but was unable to take any time off the three-time Vuelta winner as they crossed the line almost together.
Meanwhile O'Connor showed the courage that has typified his ride, to cross the line 38 seconds behind Roglic and Mas to keep the overall lead, although it has been reduced to 43 seconds over Roglic and 2 minutes and 23 seconds over Mas.
Monday is a rest day, but the race is back in the mountains on Tuesday with the testing climb to the Lakes of Covadonga.
