Henok holds 38th as Vuelta resumes with La Rábida sprint

Henok Mulubrhan retained 38th place overall at the Vuelta a España on Tuesday, finishing in the winner’s group as the race resumed after its second rest day.

The Eritrean placed 26th on Stage 16, completing the 181.1 kilometres from Cortegana to La Rábida in 3:56:33. Matthew Brennan won the sprint for his fourth stage victory, while race leader Enric Mas finished in the same group.

Mulubrhan’s cumulative time now stands at 57:31:36, leaving his deficit to Mas unchanged at 1:29:07. His points total remains 22, placing him 42nd in that classification.

The stage’s five-man breakaway was caught with 24 kilometres remaining. Exposed roads briefly split the peloton before the sprint teams regained control for the finish. XDS Astana’s Alessandro Romele crossed in 19th place.

Mulubrhan heads into Wednesday with five top-15 finishes in this Vuelta, including eighth in Córdoba on Sunday. The 185-kilometre Stage 17 from Dos Hermanas to Sevilla offers another likely sprint opportunity before Thursday’s individual time trial and the demanding climbing stages that follow.