Juan Ayuso bounced back from his Pyrenees collapse to win stage seven of the Vuelta a España in spectacular fashion, riding solo to victory on the climb to Cerler. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who had slipped down the general classification after being dropped on Thursday, made his decisive move 11km from the finish and crossed the line more than a minute ahead of Italy's Marco Frigo, with Raúl García Pierna taking third.
Torstein Træen retained the red jersey, holding a 2min 33sec lead over Jonas Vingegaard, who moved from fifth to second but failed to close the gap. Ayuso's win was his first individual Vuelta stage, following the team time trial victory on stage five. 'It's amazing to win a stage in the Vuelta, which is my favourite race,' he said. 'The way I won the race, I will remember always.'
Meanwhile, Chris Froome is recovering well after successful surgery following a crash in southern France that left him with a fractured vertebra, collapsed lung and five broken ribs. His team, Israel-Premier Tech, said he was in 'good spirits' and grateful for the medical support. The crash will end his season, and with his contract expiring, it may mark the end of a Grand Tour career that includes seven major titles.
