Star Metro - Vine claims solo Vuelta stage six victory, Traen takes lead

Australian Vine's victory continued a strong start to the 21-day race for UAE Team Emirates, who triumphed in Wednesday's team time trial, but home favourite Juan Ayuso was dropped from the peloton on the final climb in the Pyrenees.

Team Bahrain Victorious rider Traen, who was part of a long breakaway, finished second and gained enough time to take the red jersey from Jonas Vingegaard during a tricky first mountainous stage.

The Norwegian leads overall by 31 seconds from Bruno Armirail, with Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard fifth, two-and-a-half minutes behind.

Traen was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 but it was treated and he made his comeback a few months later.

It was a rain-hit stage running 170 kilometres from Olot in Spain's north-east to Pal in Andorra, the fourth country to host this edition of the race following the opening stages in Italy and France.

Part of the break which the peloton allowed to escape down the road, Vine pulled away ahead of the final climb up to Pal.

Traen followed and ultimately came in 54 seconds behind the Australian, who celebrated his third career Vuelta stage victory, crossing the line with his arms aloft.

"(The goal) was definitely to win the stage, but there was always the option that if the break wasn't going to win, that I could come back and do some work," Vine, who lives in Andorra, told Eurosport.

"I know these roads pretty well. I'm from just down the hill," said Vine, adding that not everyone in the breakaway had been prepared to work. "I would've normally liked to have done it way harder but with the headwind, it was hard to get the guys to pull through."

Team UAE's Ayuso came in over seven minutes behind the favourites, likely ending his hopes of general classification victory.

On Friday riders face more mountains on a 188 kilometre run from Andorra La Vella to Cerler in the Spanish province of Huesca.

K.Evans--SMC