ALCANIZ, Spain (AP) — John Degenkolb capped a week of racing at the Spanish Vuelta with his third win, while Joaquim Rodriguez retained the overall lead Friday after the seventh stage.
The German cyclist crossed the finish line at the Motorland Aragon in 3 hours, 48 minutes, 30 seconds, ahead of Elia Viviani of Italy and Allan Davis of Australia in the same time to win the 102-mile stage.
Rodriguez kept his 10-second advantage over British rider Christopher Froome, while Alberto Contador stayed third, 36 seconds back. Rodriguez leads with an overall time of 25:53:04.
Cyclists braved the scorching Aragon heat and survived crashes to finish the leg at a track that normally hosts Moto GP.
The eighth leg Saturday ends with a grueling mountain-top finish in Andorra.
