16:25 - And it's Oscar Freire who takes his second stage victory just ahead of Bennati and Paolo Bettini as the Rabobank rider makes a late surge on the outside to beat the Italian duo.
1km - There is a 90 degree right turn with less than 200m to go, that will be the key.
4km - Kroon sits up. It will be an eyeballs out sprint to the finish.
6km - Lampre now on the front for Daniele Bennati and the gap is down to 25 seconds.
8km - Kroon's lead has been cut to 35 seconds and it looks like we will have a fourth sprint finish in five days.
10km - In a bizarre move, Marchante has sat up and returned to the peloton.
15km - Rabobank still working on the front on the descent, the peloton trail Kroon by 1:12 with Marchante sandwiched between.
21km - Kroon crosses the summit 45 seconds ahead of Marchante with the peloton at 1:25.
23km - José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval) has jumped out of the peloton and gained 23 seconds on the main bunch.
25km - The peloton is thinning on the climb with Denis Menchov's Rabobank team setting the pace.
32km - The leading duo have seen their advantage cut to 3:40 on the climb which is 15.6km in length with an average gradient of 5.2%.
37km - Just before the start of the first category, Puerto de la Palombera, Kroon and Gomez have an advantage of four minutes.
45km - Kroon and Gomez have now increased their lead to 2:41.
53km - Kroon has crossed the Collada de Carmona 40 seconds ahead of Gomez with the peloton at 1:52.
60km - Gomez has been joined by CSC's Karsten Kroon on the climb up to the Collada de Carmona. They have a small lead on the peloton.
70km - Gomez has persisted with his attack on the descent where a lead group of ten has formed.
83km - At the summit, Mauricio Alberto Ardila (Rabobank) led from Serafín Martinez (Karpin Galicia), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step) and then Gomez.
85km - Gomez has attacked once more on the Collada de Hoz.
90km - At the intermediate sprint at Cabrales it was Champion from Bert Grabsch (T-Mobile) and Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step).
105km - The group is all together once more with all breakaway attempts stymied.
115km - The average speed in the first hour was 43.9kmph.
125km - Giovanni Bernaudeau becomes the second Bouygues Telecom rider to abandon the race.
130km - That break also came to nothing, now the French duo of Dimitri Champion (Bouygues Telecom) and Stéphane Auge (Cofidis) try their luck.
140km - Now Ángel Gomez (Saunier Duval), Angel Vallejo (Relax), Thomas Lovkvist (Française Des Jeux), David Herrero (Karpin Galicia) and Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) are on the attack.
150km - José Antonio Lopez (Ag2r) and Gustavo Cesar (Karpin Galicia) have launched early attacks but they have not worked.
12:15 - The stage is underway minus Discovery's Sergio Paulinho who has not signed on.
12:00 - It's another day in the mountains at the Vuelta a Espana with three category two climbs and a final category one ascent on the 157km route from Cangas de Onís to Reinosa.
Live Comments
16:25 -
And it's Oscar Freire who takes his second stage victory just ahead of Bennati and Paolo Bettini as the Rabobank rider makes a late surge on the outside to beat the Italian duo.
1km - There is a 90 degree right turn with less than 200m to go, that will be the key.
4km - Kroon sits up. It will be an eyeballs out sprint to the finish.
6km - Lampre now on the front for Daniele Bennati and the gap is down to 25 seconds.
8km - Kroon's lead has been cut to 35 seconds and it looks like we will have a fourth sprint finish in five days.
10km - In a bizarre move, Marchante has sat up and returned to the peloton.
15km - Rabobank still working on the front on the descent, the peloton trail Kroon by 1:12 with Marchante sandwiched between.
21km -
Kroon crosses the summit 45 seconds ahead of Marchante with the peloton at 1:25.
23km -
José Angel Gomez Marchante (Saunier Duval) has jumped out of the peloton and gained 23 seconds on the main bunch.
25km -
The peloton is thinning on the climb with Denis Menchov's Rabobank team setting the pace.
32km - The leading duo have seen their advantage cut to 3:40 on the climb which is 15.6km in length with an average gradient of 5.2%.
37km - Just before the start of the first category, Puerto de la Palombera, Kroon and Gomez have an advantage of four minutes.
45km -
Kroon and Gomez have now increased their lead to 2:41.
53km -
Kroon has crossed the Collada de Carmona 40 seconds ahead of Gomez with the peloton at 1:52.
60km -
Gomez has been joined by CSC's Karsten Kroon on the climb up to the Collada de Carmona. They have a small lead on the peloton.
70km - Gomez has persisted with his attack on the descent where a lead group of ten has formed.
83km -
At the summit, Mauricio Alberto Ardila (Rabobank) led from Serafín Martinez (Karpin Galicia), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step) and then Gomez.
85km - Gomez has attacked once more on the Collada de Hoz.
90km -
At the intermediate sprint at Cabrales it was Champion from Bert Grabsch (T-Mobile) and Juan Manuel Garate (Quick Step).
105km - The group is all together once more with all breakaway attempts stymied.
115km -
The average speed in the first hour was 43.9kmph.
125km -
Giovanni Bernaudeau becomes the second Bouygues Telecom rider to abandon the race.
130km -
That break also came to nothing, now the French duo of Dimitri Champion (Bouygues Telecom) and Stéphane Auge (Cofidis) try their luck.
140km -
Now Ángel Gomez (Saunier Duval), Angel Vallejo (Relax), Thomas Lovkvist (Française Des Jeux), David Herrero (Karpin Galicia) and Andreas Klier (T-Mobile) are on the attack.
150km -
José Antonio Lopez (Ag2r) and Gustavo Cesar (Karpin Galicia) have launched early attacks but they have not worked.
12:15 -
The stage is underway minus Discovery's Sergio Paulinho who has not signed on.
12:00 -
It's another day in the mountains at the Vuelta a Espana with three category two climbs and a final category one ascent on the 157km route from Cangas de Onís to Reinosa.