ALTO DE VELEFIQUE, Spain — Damiano Caruso won the ninth stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, with Primoz Roglic finishing second to keep the overall lead.
Caruso was in front for the last 70 kilometers (43 miles) of the 188-kilometer (116-mile) ride from Puerto Lumbreras to a summit finish atop the beyond-category Alto de Velefique.
The Italian from team Bahrain Victorious finished more than a minute ahead of Roglic, the Vuelta’s two-time defending champion. Enric Mas was third, crossing the line just behind Roglic.
Roglic’s strong finish gave him a 28-second gap to Mas in the overall standings. Miguel Angel Lopez was third overall, more than a minute behind Roglic.
Riders have their first rest day on Monday ahead of a mostly flat stage with a single mountain pass near the end.
The three-week Grand Tour race finishes at Santiago de Compostela.
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
