Race Report: A wet and tricky 9.7 kilometer time trial greeted the Vuelta peloton in Santiago de Compostela. The stage went to the Italian TT specialist; Adriano Malori, but all eyes were on Alberto Contador as he fired his gun of victory.

Race Report: Stage 18 took in the final climb twice, but it only took the young Italian Fabio Aru once to get a gap on the other Vuelta GC hopefuls. Chris Froome joined him for them both to prosper. Stage for Aru, 2nd overall for Froome.

Race Report: Stage 17 looked like a stage for the sprinters, but the sort of sprinter who can get over some stiff little climbs and that man had to be John Degenkolb. The German hit the front with only meters to go and the game was over.

Race Report: The Vuelta stage to the Lagos de Covadonga is always brutal and you have to be champion to win in the heights of Asturias. Przemyslaw Niemiec pulled it off for the stage win as the battle for the overall raged behind him.

Race Report: After the solo of Matthias Krizek was brought to its slow demise, the last 10 kilometers of stage 12 was a battle between the GC teams and the sprinters teams. In the end the sprinters won, but it took a last K crash to give the fast men their head.

Race report: The contenders chose to sort out their own private battles over the last kilometer of another intriguing Vuelta stage, which allowed the young Italian hero Fabio Aru to take a perfectly timed win. Contador hangs onto the overall, but it's getting close!

Race Report: No surprise as Tony Martin won the stage 10 time trial, but a crash for Nairo Quintana ruining his race was a shock. Contador was the fastest of the overall contenders and took over the red jersey. A day of up’s and big down’s on la Vuelta.

Race Report: One Colombian took the stage but it was a different one that took the Red Jersey. Winner Anacona had a great win and then watched the clock to see if he would be in the overall. In a surprising attack; Alberto Contador laid the foundation for Nairo Quintana to chase and take the Red Jersey.

Our man in Spain, Alastair Hamilton, has to have his yearly dose of the Vuelta a España. As the race (again) doesn’t pass through his home Valencian Region we sent him to Albacete in Castilla la Mancha. Here is his ‘Backstage Pass’ roadside.