It was always going to come down to the final climb – the Alto Xorret de Catí – in stage 8 of Vuelta 2017. The climb itself might have only been 5km long, but it had double-digit gradients, topping out at 18%. As the inclines started to bite, it was Rafal Majka and Julian Alaphilippe who escaped from a large break and played cat-and-mouse to the summit. Under the flamme rouge, Jan Polanc made it a three-man sprint which Angryphilippe won handily – his first grand tour victory. Meanwhile, back in the peloton, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome had a cat-and-mouse game of their own …
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