After the sweltering heat of the first few days, rain and cooler temperatures saw the riders donning rain jackets and arm warmers on Stage 5. A half-hearted breakaway of only two riders, Tiago Machado and Julien Morice, was caught 14 km from the finish by the peloton looking for a sprint finish.
But the main talking point of the day was a big crash caused by a metre high pole on the left hand side of the road 2.5km from the finish. It took out luckless Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk who suffered a broken collarbone as result, putting him out of the race. Earlier this year he crashed in the Giro and off the podium with a disappointing fourth place.
Read MoreFrench rider Alexandre Geniez of FDJ won today's stage, an absolute classic full of suffering, a brutal climb at the finish, a breakaway win and a Spaniard, Ruben Fernandez of Movistar, in the red jersey. That, and time gaps opening up between some of the GC contenders. Yes, the Vuelta is in full swing already - the sprinters had their chance yesterday, but now we're into the fun stuff already.
The climb to the top of the Mirador de Ézaro provided the drama we were all hoping for. It's only a couple of km long but with sections reportedly as steep as 30% it sorted out the men from the boys. At the steepest section the organisers had laid the road with concrete instead of tarmac to give the riders more grip. Crowds, up to 10 deep, lined the narrow road to the top.
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