The start and finish of the eleventh Vuelta stage was in Padrón. The peloton set off for a hilly stage of 166 kilometres. After the start signal, a long fight for a place in the breakaway of the day began. Only after an hour of racing a large group of 39 riders - including Kruijswijk and Valter – was able to break away from the peloton.  

Towards the finale, more and more riders were dropped from the leading group. Kruijswijk had to let go of the front on the steep final hill. Entering the final kilometres, three riders had a small lead, but the chasing group was able to close the gap towards the final kilometre. With the finish in sight, Dunbar placed a late attack. The Irishman surprised everyone and took the stage win. Valter eventually finished eleventh a few seconds behind Dunbar.  

“I am grateful to the team for giving me the freedom to try today”, Valter said afterwards. “It was tough. I had to spend a lot of energy in the opening hour. I knew I had to keep going, after which I ended up being in the breakaway together with Steven.”  

“In the finale we still caught the escapees, but I had to rely on my sprint. I knew I wasn't the fastest in this group, but I wanted to give it my all. It was difficult to pick the perfect moment to start my sprint. I will ask Wout van Aert for some tips on how to do better next time”, Valter concluded with a wink.