Team DSM’s Thymen Arensman secured his first career Grand Tour stage victory in stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana as Remco Evenepoel retained the lead.
Belgium’s Evenepoel finished 10th and lost more time on his main rival, Jumbo-Visma’s Primoz Roglic.
Roglic made a late push in the final kilometre to finish fifth and is one minute and 34 seconds behind.
Arensman overtook Marc Soler and held off Enric Mas on the climb up the Sierra Nevada to clinch the win.
The Dutchman finished one minute and 23 seconds ahead of Mas after the 153km mountain ride from Martos with Miguel Angel Lopez in third.
“It’s still really hard to believe, it really hasn’t sunk in,” Arensman told Eurosport. “When I was alone… I only kept thinking that I got to push and it was enough. It’s unbelievable.”
After a rest day on Monday, the action restarts with stage 16, a 189km ride from Sanlucar de Barrameda to Tomares, on Tuesday.
Stage 15 result:
1. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Team DSM) 4hrs 17mins 17secs
2. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +1min 23secs
3. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Astana-Qazaqstan) +1min 25secs
4. Jay Vine (Aus/Team Alpecin) +1min 30secs
5. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Team Jumbo-Visma) +1min 44secs
6. Ben O’Conner (Aus/Team Citreon) same time
7. Juan Ayuso (Spa/Team Emirates) +1min 55secs
8. Jai Hindley (Aus/BORA-hansgrohe) same time
9. Louis Meintjes (Rsa/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) same time
10. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl Team) +1min 59secs
General classification after stage 15:
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl Team) 56hrs 40mins 49secs
2. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 34secs
3. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar Team) +2mins 01secs
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa/Team Emirates) +4mins 49secs
5. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +5mins 16secs
6. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col/Astana-Qazaqstan Team) +5mins 24secs
7. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +7mins
8. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Team DSM) +7 mins 05secs
9. Ben O’Connor (Aus/Team Citreon) +8mins 57secs
10. Jai Hindley (Aus/BORA-hansgrohe) +11min 36secs
