O'Connor seals solo stage win to claim Vuelta lead

Australia's Ben O'Connor claimed a stunning solo triumph connected shape six of nan Vuelta a Espana to return nan leader's reddish jersey from Primoz Roglic.

O'Connor went clear pinch 27km of nan 185.5km people to Yunquera remaining and vanished 4 minutes and 33 seconds up of Italian Marco Frigo.

The Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale rider, 28, has now won stages successful each 3 of cycling's Grand Tours.

Three-time champion Roglic was contented to cede nan leader's jersey early successful nan title and nan Slovenian rolled successful pinch nan peloton six minutes and 31 seconds down connected O'Connor.

"I felt a small spot successful my ain world, I conscionable went for it, I felt it was conscionable a time to prehend my opportunity and I laid it each retired there," O'Connor told Eurosport.

"I felt I could triumph this shape from nan commencement - it's beautiful typical erstwhile you tin conscionable spell retired and crush it for illustration that."

O'Connor won a Giro d'Italia shape successful 2020 and a shape of nan Tour de France successful 2021.

He now leads Roglic by 4 minutes and 51 seconds successful nan wide classification, pinch Portugal's Joao Almeida 8 seconds further back.

O'Connor could beryllium a threat for nan wide victory, having vanished 4th astatine some this year's Giro and nan 2021 Tour.

German Florian Lipowitz vanished 3rd connected nan shape to move up to 4th overall, 19 seconds down connected Almeida.

Defending champion Sepp Kuss is 15th - six minutes and 5 seconds down O'Connor.

Stage six started wrong a Carrefour supermarket successful Jerez de la Frontera to people nan company's sponsorship of nan race.

O'Connor successfully made it crossed to a ample breakaway group earlier he and Gijs Leemreize near nan remainder behind, but nan Dutchman could not respond erstwhile O'Connor made his decisive move.

Friday's shape 7 is simply a 180.5km hilly way from Archidona to Cordoba.