Australian Michael Storer (DSM) soloed the seventh stage of the Vuelta, the Gandia-Balcon de Alicante, of 157 km.
The first real mountain leg of the race also put in difficulty the leader of the race, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who continues to wear the red jersey, but with only eight seconds ahead of the Austrian Felix Grossschartner, while he forced to retire after a bad fall the veteran Alejandro Valverde.
The very eventful stage was characterized by the escape of a few dozen runners which began 100 km from the finish line and which the best group did not try to counter. Storer, winner of the Tour de l'Ain three weeks ago, shifted gears on the last climb, breaking away from everyone to take his first career victory in a grand lap, ahead of Spaniard Carlos Verona and Frenchman Pavel Sivakov. In the final stretch, Adam Yates tried to make a selection among the big names, with Roglic who managed to keep up and the jersey.
Valverde, 41, has retired from what could be his last Vuelta after sustaining a shoulder injury in a fall. The leader of Movistar, who was fourth in the overall standings, tried to continue but gave up, pulling over to the side of the road and then climbing into the team car in tears.