Cycling-Aru holds off Rodriguez to protect Vuelta lead (Reuters)
Fabio Aru held off a strong challenge from Joaquim Rodriguez to protect his overall lead in the Vuelta as BMC Racing’s Italian Alessandro De Marchi won the 14th stage on Saturday. Italian Aru of the Astana team looked fresh in the final 18km climb to the Alto Campoo in Fuente del Chivo but he was countered by a resurgent Nairo Quintana of Colombia (Movistar) and Rodriguez of Spain. After 215km from Vitoria, De Marchi was the strongest of a five-man breakaway group, with Quintana finishing sixth ahead of the other top guns, 3:32 off the pace.