A very tough and demanding mountain finish in pouring cold showers was on the menu on today’s fifteenth stage covering 187 kilometers from Solares to Lagos de Covadonga. The final climb was a stretch of nearly 14 kilometers with an unforgiving average gradient which could mess up the overall rankings.

In the peloton, Team Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck was surrounded by teammates all the way to the uphill finish where he finished 13th. In the general classification, he is now seventh.

Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Pierre Cazaux (Francaise des Jeux), Olivier Kaisen (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Greg Van Avermaet (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Carlos Barredo (Quick Step) and Martin Velits (Team HTC-Columbia) broke free from the field early on the stage to deny the favorites the stage win.

And Carlos Barredo (Quick Step) took a beautiful solo stage win after showing initiative to fly away from his followers and crossed the finish line in solitude.

”It was wet and cold and that a major impact on my performance today. I was, however in a good position at the foot of the climb where I was protected and for a long time I was able to follow my rivals. But when they pulled away on the final kilometers, I just needed that last bit of strength,” commented Team Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck after the tough stage.