Henok remains 36th as Vuelta enters final weekend

Henok Mulubrhan heads into the final weekend of the Vuelta a España in 36th place overall after finishing 47th on Friday’s uphill stage to Peñas Blancas above Estepona.

The Eritrean XDS Astana rider completed the 210.8-kilometre stage from Vélez-Málaga in 5:15:20, finishing 14 minutes 26 seconds behind winner Eddie Dunbar. His overall position was unchanged, although his deficit to race leader Enric Mas widened by 9:15 to 1:42:18.

Dunbar beat Santiago Buitrago by 14 seconds, with Thomas Gloag third. Mas finished with the main contenders, keeping the red jersey ahead of the race’s final mountain stage.

For Henok, Saturday brings another demanding test before Sunday’s finish in Granada. The 186.8-kilometre route from La Calahorra to Collado del Alguacil includes two ascents of El Purche and the climb of El Duque before an 8.3-kilometre summit finish averaging 9.8%. The terrain puts sustained climbing endurance at the centre of his penultimate day.