Danny van Poppel sprinted to sixth in the first bunch finish of the Vuelta a España. The 25-year-old Dutch sprinter of Team LottoNL-Jumbo began his charge early.

"It was super heavy today. I am glad that I was able to sprint at all," explained van Poppel. "That was already something in such a tough stage and in this extreme heat. I felt good and it could get even better over the next days and weeks. Such a tough Vuelta is something that suits me, so there are still a few opportunities to come for me and the team."

"The stage itself was controlled by the big teams," Sports Director Grischa Niermann said. "The heat and the climbing made it very difficult. Danny started the sprint a bit early, but his shape is good and that gives us in the team confidence."

In the general classification, little changed today. Steven Kruijswijk remains 11th overall behind leader Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky). George Bennett moved up a place to 17th.