Chris Froome's Vuelta a Espana lead decreases as Stefan Denifl wins 17th stage
By AP Sport
Last Updated: 11/09/17 2:29pm
Chris Froome lost some of his Vuelta a Espana lead in a brutal climb that challenged riders in a 17th stage won by Stefan Denifl of Austria on Wednesday.
Froome, coming off a comfortable time-trial victory on Tuesday, was struggling as he rode up the steep Los Machucos hill at the end of the 180.5-kilometer [112.1-mile] stage.
The Tour de France winner finished 14th and lost 42 seconds of his overall lead, which now stands at 1 minute, 16 seconds over Vincenzo Nibali of Italy while Wilco Kelderman of the Netherlands is third, more than two minutes behind Froome.
"It's still a good position to be in," said Froome, who is seeking his first Vuelta title.
"I think we always knew today was going to be a tough final and it certainly was. I am feeling good and we look forward to the next three days.
"Of course it's never nice to lose time, but I still feel good. There's just three days left and I hope we can get the job done."
Three-time winner Alberto Contador, who is retiring from cycling after this year's Vuelta, thrived in the final climb to earn a second-place finish.
He made up more than a minute on Froome, but remained fifth overall, more than three minutes from the lead with four stages left before the Vuelta ends on Sunday in Madrid.
Thursday's 18th stage will take riders 169 km [105 miles] from Suances to Santo Toribio de Liebana.
