Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 5 of the 2022 Vuelta a ༺España

After yesterday's sharp uphill finish in Laguardia, today's stage serves up more punchy Basque terrain, with the double ascent of the Alto del Vivero - which reaches 10% in parts - and a dow꧃nhill run-in to Bilbao. 

Blue skies and tempera๊tures nearing 30 degrees in Irún, right on the French border. We'll be heading west along tꦜhe coast of northern Spain to the famous city of Bilbao, tucking inland for a few climbs along the way.

Thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe riders have all signed on and they're beginning to gather on the start line. Roll-out is coming up🅷 in just over five minutes, the start proper closer to the hour.

Before we get goi🍌ng, now's the time to catch up on yesterday's action. Stage 4 report, results, photos in the link below. 

Primoz Roglic moves into Vuelta a España lead after winning stage 4

Today's stage is an interesting one, which could go a number of ways. The Vivero is tough, but it's unlikely to do any real GC damage at this early stage in the race. The downhill run-in to Bilbao will catch the eyes of the versatile variety of sprinters who can survive medium climbs. But th🦩e most likely outcome could be a breakaway victory. With this s𝔉ort of terrain, and with enough question marks over who'll control the peloton, there should be a fair bit of interest in today's escape.

The riders are on the move and on their🍸 way to kilometre zeꦬro. 

Before we get properly underway, here's some highly recommended reading based on today's stage

The Alto de Vivero is practically in Igor Antón's back garden. This very finale was used in the 2011 Vuelta, on the race's first visit to the Basque Country in 33 years (due to political problems in Spain) and Antón triumphed 😼in front of his home fans, for the home Euskadi team, on home soil. It was a massive moment for 𒀰rider, team and race. 

My colleague Al🎉asdair Fotheringham sits down with Antón to re-live that day, and find out the s♊ecrets of the Vivero and the run-in to Bilbao. 

Local hero – Igor Antón's electrifying 2011 Vuelta a España victory in Bilbao

One non-starter today. 𝕴Dan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo) has tested positive for COVID-19

We're off

The stage is waved underway, and here come the first attacks. We could see t⭕he first real fight for a breakaway of this Vuelta.

As expected, it's an intense start. Plenty of attacks, not🐻hing sticking.

Ethan Hayter (Ineosಌ Grenadiers) looks🌟 to get up the road. He wears the white jersey as best young rider.

Hayter might be the sort of fast finisher who𓆉🥃 could get over today's final climb, but Ineos won't control all day and he doesn't look like he wants to gamble. He hits out and draws out a group of four counter-attackers. 

The chasing four are: Rein Taaramae (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), Mark Donovan (Team DSM), Ibai Azurmendi (Eu🅠skaltel-Euskadi) and Simon Guglielmi 𒊎(Arkea-Samsic). 

167km to go

The peloton roars back and it's all togethe🧔r after 20kmꦗ.

Harry Sweeny (ღLotto Soudal) kicks off the next wave of attacks but the bunch is strung out and flyﷺing along.

Six riders go clear but the🎃y're quick🌼ly brought back. 

A much bi🔴gger move threatens to🍌 go clear but some teams musn't have made it, as it comes back once again.

The average speed so far is over 50km/h 🔥

We've done jus🌸t over 40km so far. Th🃏e categorised climbing starts after 90km. This breakaway battle could go on for a good while yet.

137km to go

That's 50km on﷽ the🔴 clock. We've been racing for a shade under an hour. A fast and frantic start!

The r🉐iders now tackle a short uncategorised climb, but no mov꧃es going here.

A group of a dozen goes clear over the top.

Vuelta a España sees first COVID-19 case as Daan Hoole leaves race

Here was Clement Russo and Jake Stewart attacking a short while ago, but there has been a🌼 response from the bunch to each a♐nd every move so far.

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) tries his luck. Things are getting serious now. The Dane has finished runner-up on each🍸 of the past three stages and took a ♚virtuoso breakaway stage win at the Tour de France recently.

Pedersen is brought back and the ✨peloton continues as one. 

Horrible news to report this morning - the death of Rab Wardell, who was only 37 and won the Scottish MTB XC championship at the wee🎃kend. 

Scottish mountain bike champion Rab Wardell dies following cardiac arrest

75k🍰m on the clock and we have our latest breakaway attempt. Nine in this one and they gain a bit of ground.

Here are the nine attackers

Jaakko Hanninen (AG2R Citroën), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Premier Tech), Gregor Muhlberger (Movistar), Fausto Masnada (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), Lawson Craddock (BikeExchange-Jayco), Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) and Roger Adria (Kern Pharma).
 

A strong counter🎉-a𒊎ttack sets off in pursuit. This could kick things off again and take us back to square one.

The counter-attack makes it acr🦂oss and this could be it....

Lots of feeding starting to take place in the peloton. It seems they're l🥃etting this go...

The five latecomerꦅs are: Vadim Pronskiy (Astana Qazaqstan), Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ), Julius Johansen (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux),🦋 Nikias Arndt (Team DSM) and Anthony Delaplace (Arkea-Samsic).

The gap goes out to 40 seconds but it'💎s not done just yet. Four more counter-attackers hit 🐻out.

The new chasers: Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education-EasyPost), Daryl Impey (Israel Premier Tech), Kamil Maleck🐻i (Lotto Soudal), Ibai Azurmendi (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

100km to go

The road🎐 rises ahead of the first of the day's five categorised climbs, the cat-3 Puerto de Gontzagarinaga. The breakaway leads the four chasers by 30 seconds and the peloton by 1:35.

The🌸 climb begins. It's 5.3km at an average graඣdient of 4.5%

Hanninnen has crashed out of the breakaway. 

The four-man c🐈hase gets across to make it 18 riders in the breakaway. The peloton is at just under two 🥂minutes. 

Marc Soler attacks🎃 from the bunch. Obviously. 

Jumbo-Visma are setting the pace en masse at the head of the peloton 🐻as we head up this climb.

Here's the full composition of the breakaway 

Alessandro De Marchi💦, Daryl Impey (Israel Premier Tech)

Rudy Molard, Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ)

Fausto Masnada (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)

Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious)

Gregor Muhlberger (Movistar)

Vadim Pronskiy (Astana Qazaqstan)

Julius Johansen (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert M﷽atériaux)

Nikias Arndt (Team DSM)

Anthony Delaplace (Arkea-Samsic)

Jonathan Caicedo (EF Education-EasyPost)

Kamil Malecki (Lotto Soudal)

Lawson Craddock (BikeExchange-Jayco)

Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH)

Roger Adria (Kern Pharma)

Ibai Azurmendi (Euskaltel-Euskadi)

Top of the Gontzagarinaga and it's Lan𒈔gellotti ﷽who skips clear to take maximum mountains points. 

90km to go

Soler pass🐈es over the summit just over a minute down. The peloton follows at 2:30, led by Jumbo-Visma. 

Puerto de Gontzagarinaga

1. Langellotti, 3 pts
2. Adria, 2 pts
3. Molard, 1 pt

After a sho🅰rt descent, it's straight onto the well-known Balcón de Bi♎zkaia

The climb is 4.2km long at 5.6%

Sole🉐r is doing a great eไffort here. He's breezing across the gap and is 37 seconds down now. 

De Marchi has been dropped from the breakaway.

Soler links up with De Ma𒉰rchi and now they're both on their way up to the front of the race. 

Soler is across. That's 18 in ๊the breakaway now. 

The breakaway comes to the top of the Balcón de Bizkaia. Here comes the battle for points🎐 again. 

Langellotti gets there again ahead of Adria

82km to go

The peloton crests the cli๊mb 3:30 behind the 18 leaders.

A longer descent now and then it's over to the Alto de Mo🎐ꦫrga, the last climb before the Vivero double header.

71km to go

Jumbo-Visma continue to set a solid tempo. They're keeping the gap at 3:40 at the𝔉 moment.

The best-♐placed rider on GC who's in this breakaway is Molard, who started the day 58 seconds down, so is currently the virtual red jersey. 

The brea⛎kaway hit the Alto de Morga, which is 8.6km at 3.5%

Looking at the composition of the break, the two teams who have more than one rider are FDJ and Israel. It alread🅷y looks like Stew🅰art is sacrificing himself for Molard. 

In terms of the teams not represented, that would be Jumbo, Ineos, Trek, Cofidis, Alpecin, Bora, AG�꧒�2R (although the latter because Hanninnen crashed out)

While Molard is the virtual leader, he does have company in the fight for the red jersey. Fred Wright is just four seconds behind him on GC, and that tussle for the overall lead is just one aspect of this br🍷eakaway complexion. 

Tꦛhe peloton are conceding ground on this climb. The gap goes out beyond five minutes, and that means it's becoming more certainly a breakaway da🦩y. 

We reach the top of the Morga climb, and Langellotti does his thing again, adding another thr⛦ee mountains points to his tally. That's nine for the day and he's heading into the polka-dot jersey.

The🐬 peloton crest the climb 4:40 in arrears. 

A short 🎐downhill and then we'll be heading to the Alto del Vivero, which will be scaled twice today. 

Before we get to the Vivero, now's the time to have a read of this

It's Igor Antón telling us about his emotional and important victory oꦏn this very finale the last time the Vuelta used it back in 2011, which was the race's first visit to the Basque Country in 33 fraught years. Antón still lives in the area and can see the Vivero from his garden, so he also gives us the lowdown on the ascent and the descent.

Local hero – Igor Antón's electrifying 2011 Vuelta a España victory in Bilbao

The pace picks up in the peloton onꦆ the approach to the Vivero. Jumbo-Visma fade away. Or rather, they're now fla𒅌nked by other teams getting into formation. 

There was a big atmosphere when Antón was here in 2011 and it should be the same again today. The Basque fans can always ෴be rel🌜ied upon to bring the noise, and it's the start of their regional celebrations as well. 

...as Alasdair Fotheringham texts me in his latest update...

"Not much new news from the finish except it's hotter than hell and Bilbao is having its fiestas, so expect lots of pissed Basques throwing moonies and running onto the road waving ikurrinas."

Here we go, the Alto del Vivero begi💛ns for the first ♌time. 

It's 4.6km long at an average gradient of 8%. That's steep♏, but it does include a flatter se💜ction, so there is some even steeper stuff in there. 

47km to go

Soler, who bridged a 90-second g💃ap to make this breakaway earlier on, hits the front to force the💃 issue. 

Jake Stewart looks to drive things on now. A reminder he seems to be w꧙orking ♚for FDJ teammate Molard, but does have a great sprint on him himself. 

The peloton hit the climb and Jumbo reasse𒅌rt some control through Rohan Dennis and Robert Gesink. The other teams wanted a good position on entry but its unlikely we'll see any fireworks on this first ascent. 

Still, the pace on approach♎ ꧃has seen the gap fall below 3:30. 

That does bring the sta✅ge win back into the question but it looks fairly settled again back there. 

The Israe🌳l d🔯uo of De Marchi and Impey are struggling at the back of the break. Muhlberger and Malecki too. 

Craddock attacks from the break!

The US rider gets a decent gap. 

Langellotti leads the chase, hunting points that would seal him the KOM jersey for tomorrow. ✤;

Stewart𒈔 loses contact towards the top, but could be able to get back in on the descent. 

The crowds thicken in the final 500 metres of the climb. Loads of fans leaning into the road waꦆving their flags, creating a narrow tunnel for the riders to duck through. 

Chris Froome is dropped from the bunch. 

Craddock skips towards the top

He꧒re comes Langellotti with a last-gasp acceleration!!

But he can't catch Craddock, who crests the Vivero in first place. Langellotti still takes three more points that cements th💜e KOM jersey for stage 6. 

Those two have a small gap as they start the descent. Seven riders remain in the next group from the🐼 breakaway, but more could get back in before the next ascent. 

Here comes the peloton. What's the damage? 

4:15, so they knocke꧅d it off again and are allowing the breakaway to take the stage and likely also the red jersey. 

Wright and M🤡olard - the red jersey contenders - are both up front but this break is now starting to attack each other. 

It's a pedalling descent with a few flat sections, anꦗd it's getting messy up front.&nbs🧜p;

32km to go

As expected, Stewart and a f🌱ew others come back, so we no🎉w have 12 riders at the head of the race.

The leaders are:

Soler, Molard, Wright, Langello🎐tti, Pronskiy, Craddock, Arndt, Muhlberger, Masnada, Impey, Adria, Stewart

Wr🙈ight has set up shop on Molard's wheel, and he's not moving. A reminder that Mol💛ard is the best-placed on GC and set to take the red jersey, with Wright poised just four seconds back. 

The breakaway finishes the descent and heads into B🍸ilbao. 

28.8km to go

Into the home straight an🦂d across the finish line, but don't worry, we have another lap and another ascent of the Vivero to come. 𒈔Langelotti leads the 12-rider break across as the bell sounds, with more than five minutes back to the peloton. 

That was actually 🌠also an intermediate sprint, not that any of them seemed bothered about it. 

So we started out with a break of 18 and we now have 12, so six have fallen away and they're out of the equation now and more than two minutes down: Azurmendi꧃,﷽ De Marchi, Johansen, Delaplace, Malecki, Caicedo.

Jake Stewart attacks

We're still on the flat as we 🎐head out of Bilbao. Sღtewart has done a lot of work for Molard but FDJ are getting tactical here and forcing the hands of others.

Stewart has opened a lead of 20 seconds with just ovꦏer 20km to go

Jumbo-Visma lead the peloton at five minutes. It's a breakaway day, but we might just see a couple o💙f GC accelerations. 

Wright is being leanꦺt on in the chase group. 🎉There aren't many willing to work here and the gap goes out to 30 seconds!

18.5km to go

Stewart hits the final climb of the Alto del Vivero. We've done it already, but a reminder that it's 4.6km at 8% but with some gentler stuff and some steeper stuff.&nbs⛎p;

40 seconds now as the riders in the chase head to team cars to get bottles and final supplies ahead of the climb, where things are sure to l🌠ight up properly. 

Stewart hit𒉰s the double digit stuff and strains out of the saddle. 

42 seconds for the young B🎀rit and no moves yet behind.

But now Aꦉdri🐼a kicks things off. He gets a gap. 

Stewart is a rider in form, having won a sprint stageജ at the recent Tour de l'Ain. He's been an emerging talent in the past couple of years but had to take a step back earlier this year due to a stomach disease. He's a fast finisher who can survive some smaller climbs, and a budding Classics rider. 

Soler isꦫ struggling💯 now as the rest of the break starts to fragment. 

Ine꧟os♛ take over on the approach back in the bunch. 

Up front it's 30 seconds for Ste🍎wart as🗹 he heads towards the flatter section in the middle. 

Ineos lead the peloton onto the climb but Gesink muscles back through to reassert cont𝓀rol from Jumbo. 

Stewart finds time on the flatter section! 2.5km to the top and he had slipped to 2ౠ0 seconds ahead but it goes back out to 30.

Adria's attack fizzled💎 out and the other 11 are back together now, with Langellotti on the front doing a ༒big turn at the moment. 

Soler attacks! The cooperation ebbs and flows and now Sꦑoler, struggling before, decides to try an attack. 

Nothing happening in th💞e peloton. It looks like this w🐽ill be a relative GC day-off. 

Stewart starts to slip again. 10 seconds n🔯ow. 

Soler is making this attack stick. 

Wright accelerates behind!

Molard is glue𝓀d to the wheel. Craddock also alive to it. 

If Stewart can just stay in 🍌the group over this climb, he's probably the fastest sprinter of the 12....

Wright is seemingly happy to drag riders along. He co🍸ntinues to lead the chase of Stewart and Soler. 

Wrig🌄ht was a memora🌱ble presence at the Tour de France, in around three or four breakaways and coming closer and closer. Is now the time?

Soler closes in on Stewart with 1200 metres to th𓄧e top of t📖he Vivero.

Soler reaches Stewart and breezes past him!

It's another big ﷽acceleration and Stewart is 🔯done for!

Wright dials it up again, and he's cracking this group wide open. What a r⛄ide. Mol𒅌ard is glued to his wheel though.

They reach Stewart, who tries to cling🤡 on as the road flattens out again for a🧸 brief period. 

Soler leads by nine seconds as he heads into the crowds in the final 5🌃00 metres of the climb.&nb🌜sp;

Langellotti and Pronskiy are up with Wrig꧙ht, Molard, and Stewart in the chase. Cr🌳addock dangling just behind.

There are bonus seconds at the top of this climb. 3-2-1 for the top🃏 three. Molard and Wright will fight for the remainders.

Soler crests the climb alone🐓 in the lead, with 12 seconds in hand.

It looks like Wright gets there to second place ahead of Molard to claw a sec👍ond back and reduce 𒅌his deficit to three seconds on GC.

Stewart📖 and Craddock distanced at the top t🦩here. 

13.5km to go

Soler leads the race by 13 seconds, heading downh๊ill. 

Apolog♕ies, Molard was second to the top of the Vivero, and Wright fourth, so that's actually two seconds in favour of Molard, who now has six seconds on the Brit on GC. He's heading into the red jersey.

The 🅠chase group is disorganised and that'll help Soꦍler. Wright is on the front, with Langelotti, Molard, and Pronskiy. A little further back are Stewart and Craddock. 

Molard knows he's most likely riding into red, and he has Stewart behind, so he won't help 🥃this chase for now. 

Jumbo-Visma lead the peloton to the top of the climb at just over four minutes. No GC action.&😼💦nbsp;

10km remaining

Soler has 10 seconds with 10 to go.

Stewart and C꧂raddock rejoin the chase 🐟group. So six in there now. 

Soler hits one of༺ the numerous false flats and has to spring out of the saddle. It's a pedalling descent that favours a group - but only one that's well organised. 

Molard now starts to work in the chase. 

But Wright accelerates and Stewart cracks!

Stewart is on the radio. He's done, no ch☂ance of comi😼ng back now. 

7km to go

Soler has 15 seconds in hand as Craddock pushe෴s on behind.

It's down to 10 seconds! Wrigh𝓀t and♌ Craddock are working together. 

Molard and Pronsk💦iy takes some turns now, and Langellotti too. We 𒆙finally have some cooperation there. 

5km to go

Regrouping! The second chase group is coming ba💮ck to make one bigger chase gr⛦oup behind Soler

Arndt, Adria, Masnada, Impey, Muhlberger are all back inꦓ the game now!!

4km to go and just six seconds for Soler against a 10ꦍ-man groไup. 

3km to go

Soler is holding at seven seconds. Will this bigge൩r chase group collaborate?

No, they won't. Classic. They're attacking🧔 each other. ꦆ;

Masnada goes for it and Muhlberger follows. 

Fast downhill and Soler uses it to hold his lead.♉ 

1500 metres to go ܫand four riders now in the chase, but it's coming back...

Final kilometre and the chas💖e comes back together. 10 in the chase behind SOler, still alone!!

It's so cl𝓡ose, only a few seconds. Surely a sprint can still overhaul this.

Pronskiy takes the lead of the chase.

Wright takes it up now.

500 m൲etres to go and they're looking at each oth𓆏er behind!!!

Wright winds it up behind. Soler is grimacing!!

Soler is going to hold on! ꦐHe's celebrating a🎀lready!

Soler takes it! Wow! What a win

Impey mops up for second, Wright third, but UCI rankings points aside it matters for nothing, and they've all cancelled eachꦕ other out. Soler has danced away with it with a brave and thrilling victory. 

- Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 🎶wins stage 5 of the Vuelta ♏a España

- Rudy Molard (Groupama-FD𒐪J) takes the red jersey as overall leader

Jumbo-Visma lead the peloton across the finiꦓsh line at an arrears of 5:08. It's not a GC day but they do loan the red jersey out to Mo♋lard, who has a lead of more than four minutes over Roglic. 

Results

We can hear from the new race leader, Molard, who enjoys a second spell in red after doing the same in 2018. 

"I did it again. It's a big day for me. I was thinking about this from yesterday. I w🐻as not so far on GC. I told my teammates it was possible to get the red jersey today and I did it. It's so good. 

"Jake [Stewart] was so strong today. He pulled for me, but at the end it was very confused, with many attacks, and he got his chance. In the final I was waiting for him because I know in a sprint he could win the stage. Soler gets the victory and it's good for me, with ༺the bonus seconds, for the red jersey,♎ so a perfect position. It's amazing. 

"I just had to follow [Wright]. He was very strong. I know he's very fast in a sprint, so I was ꦕin doubt for the final sprint. When🐻 Arndt and Impey came from the back it was better for me."