Hello and welcome to our live coverage ꧟of stage 17 of the Vuelta a España. It's the day we've all been waiting f🎀or...

Are you ready for the Altu de L'Angliru?

We're just under an ho🌳ur fromꦛ the start of today's stage.

Yesterday's stage 16 brought another summit finish at Bejes and an emotional victory for Jonas Vingꦯegaard, who gained 1:15 on his teammate and race leader Sepp Kuss.

Vuelta a España: Vingegaard attacks to win stage 16 in uphill finish to Bejes

A look back at the stage result.

And the G🗹C picture heading into stage 17 and the A𒀰ltu de L'Angliru.

Jumbo-Visma endured a tough day after news of Nathan Van Hooydonck's ca💞r crash🍸 in Belgium. His outlook is much improved.

Jumbo-Visma confirm Van Hooydonck's 'health situation is not critical' after car accident

"I wanted to win so badly for him, I hope he w🌃ill recover soon" Vingegaard said about his "b🐈est friend" Van Hooydonck after his stage win at Bejes.

Vingegaard secures emotional Vuelta a España stage win for injured Van Hooydonck

M♕eanwhile,🍨 race leader Sepp Kuss said after the stage that the Vuelta's red jersey battle isn't an intra-Jumbo-Visma competition.

Sepp Kuss: We shouldn't think of Vuelta a España as a competition between us

40 minutes 🍌to go until the start of today's stage in the Asturian town of Ribeseya.

T𒉰here are no confirmed DNSes so far this morning. It looks like 150 riders will start the stage.

We've put together a comprehensive preview of the stage, courtesy of 🌄our man on ཧthe ground in Spain, Alasdair Fotheringham.

"To ride the second, hardest part of the Angliru well, you have to know how to exert yourself to the maximum on a really steep slജope: but – and this is critical – it's also about keeping in mind that there are no breaks in the steepness," said four-time Vuelta winner Roberto Heras, who won on the climb in 2022.

"So you 🔜can’t go ov💯er your limit, because if you do, there’s no way back into the game. The climb is that hard."

Vuelta a España reaches emotional highpoint at Angliru – Stage 17 preview

A lookไ back through the history of the 𝐆famous climb.

15 minutes to the stage start.

The sign that will greet the riders as they take on La Cueña les Cabres, th✅e steepest section of the Angliru.

How to watch the 2023 Vuelta a España: Live TV and streaming

Find out how to watch Kuss, Roglic, Vingegaar൩d, Ayuso, Mas, Landa battle for the red jersey

Just a few minutes from the stage start.

Will birthday boy Sepp Kuꦰss keep the red 🎉jersey on the Alto de L'Angliru today?

The team presentation sand sign-ons are 🎉complete and riders are preparing to roll out on stage 𝐆17.

124.🀅5km coming up with𒊎 a long flat ride to start the stage.

The stage is 😼underway and the riders are taking on an 8.2km neutral zone before the flag drops.

The ride♚rs still rolling through the long ne🎀utral zone.

124.5km to go

The flag drops and stage 17 is underway!

Attacks flying from the start as rཧiders try ♉to make the break.

Remco Evenepoel 𝕴(Soudal-QuickStep) amon🍸g the attackers.

Thomas ꦍDe Gendt (Lotto-Dstny) and Evenepoel's teammate Casper Pedersen also on the move.

117km to go

The attack is caught.

Kim Heiduk (Ineos Grenadiers) and Julius Johansen (Intermarché-Circus-⛦Wanty) were also up there with Evenepoel be💫fore being brought back.

110km to go

Still no moves going clear at the front.

10 riders on the attack at the moment.

Evenepoel is in there.

The group can't make it away just yet though.

102km to go

A very qu🎃ick start to the stage w🐽ith the battle for the breakaway.

The average speed so far is 52kph.

Several riders hit the deck in the peloton. Men from UAE Team Emira🅷tes, Burgos-BH, Bahrain Victorious, and Ineos Grenadiers are caught up.

The riders race past the 100km to go mark.

Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-QuickStep) is on the move for the second day in a row. He's with Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Larry War🐎basse (AG2R Citroën) and the DSM-Firmenich pairing of Chris Hamilton and Romain Combaud.

20 seconds for that group.

Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) and Stefan Bissegger (EF Ed♔ucation-EasyPost) are trying to get across.

94km to go

30 s🌱econds for tꩵhe attackers as Theuns and Bissegger are caught.

The peloton not l🉐etting this group get very far just y🍨et.

Omar Fraile and Finn Fisher-Black among the riders returning to the peloton after getting cau𝄹ght in that crasꦐh.

88km to go

Evenepoel a🎶nd Fi༺lippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) now jumping.

But they don't make it far before getting caught.

Matevž Govekar (Bahrain Victorious) gets treated at the medical car after getting caught in the crash earlier.

Meanwhile it's still 30 seconds for the break.

More riders attack the peloton – Jarrad Drizners (Lotto-Dstny) with Geoffrey Bouchard 🐠(AG2R Citroën) and Kévin Ledanois (Arkéa-Samsic).

81km to go

Still no live TV pictures on the queen stage 🍸of the Vuelta.

76km to go

Evenepoel goes on the attack again along with Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) and Jorge🎐 Arcas (Movistar).

Thꦛe trio get across to ൩Drizners, Bouchard, and Ledanois at 10 seconds down on the leaders.

Finally we have live images. Seemingly just in time 🐷to have missed the battle for the breakaway.

Evenepoel's group is across to the leaders now.

The breakaway...

Remco Evenepoel, Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-QuickStep); Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ)l; Jorge Arcas (Movistar); Jarrad Drizners (Lotto-Dstny); Romain ܫCombaud, Chris Hamilton (DSM-Firmenich); Geoffrey Bouchard, Larry Warbasse (AG2R Citroën); Jorge Arcas (Movistar); Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) 

But now riders are dropping away as Jumbo-Vi😼sꦺma drive the peloton.

Evenepoel, C𒅌attaneo, Warbasse,ꦯ Germani, Drizners are left up front.

70km to go

Now Drizners and Warbasse are dropped.

Evenepoel, ꦆCattaneo, and Germani are up front now.

More riders jumping from the peloton now. 

Theuns and Lotto-Dstny men A🙈ndreas Kron a♌nd Eduardo Sepulveda have made it across to Warbasse and Drizners.

Jumbo-Vismaꦜ setting the pace at 1:20 down on the leaders.

Philippa York analysis: Winning together at Jumbo-Visma? Maybe, maybe not

Who will win the Vuelta a Espana at Jumbo-Visma? What’s next on t🗹he Remco Show?

Evenepoel, Cattaneo, and Germani 1:30 up on theಌ peloton as the chase group lies a min🍸ute down.

The riders closing in on the first climb of the day, the Alto de la Coladiella (7.8kꦅm at 7.1%). They're 2km away from the start.

Still a very high average speed of 50.6kph.

56km to go

The lead trio start the climb.

A first-category climb with a very ha💙rd second ✃half.

1:50 from the break to the peloton.

No urgency in the peloton as the g𒐪ap continues to go up.

Germani drops from the lead trio 4km from ꦇt🅰he top of the climb. Evenepoel and Cattaneo continue alone.

52km to go

Marc Soler attacks. Why?

UAE Team Emirates must have a random tactic generator between this and whatever Finn Fisher𝄹-Black was trying to do yesterday.

Evenepoel and Cattaneo are now 2𒁃:30 up ﷽on the peloton.

Drizners and Warbasse back to the peloto꧙n after dropping from the chase group.

Riders dropping💎 at the reꦕar of the peloton on the first climb of the day.

Evenepoel aꦑnd Cattaneo in t♏he break with the now-dropped Germani.

Soler 𝓡working his way past the riders in the chase. He's 1:20 down on the le💧ad duo and 1:10 up on the peloton.

The Spaniard passes Germani and now he's the second gro𒀰up on the road.

Evenepoel leads Cattaneo ovevr the top and that💙's another 10 points for him to take his mount☂ain classification total to 81.

Jonas Vingegaard is in second there on 41 points.

48km to go

Soler crosses the top at 1:10 down.

Jumb𒁃o-Vis🌜ma lead the peloton across the top of the Colladiella at 2:40 down.

Jumbo-Visma leading the peloton.

44km to go

A minute for♏ the lead duo on Soler now as 𒆙they head down the descent.

Evenepoel and Cattaneo hit the flat l꧙ands at the bottom of the descent.

Soler now has Germani and Sepulveda with him in the 𝐆chase at 1:05 do🐟wn.

2:25 back to the peloton.

11km to go un🎐til the riders hit the day's second climb🐭.

36km to go

The chasers aren't making any✤ headway into the lead of Evenepoel and Cattane𓄧o.

Evenepoel has Cattaneo pushing hard for him while in the chase none of them have a teammate who can empty themselves on ✨the front.

Now 1:25 to the chase, 2:30 to the peloton.

30km to go

Into the final 3ꦑ0km of the day for the two leaders now.

1:45 back to the Soler group now. They are falling ba𝓡ck to the peloton.

Cattaneo led Evenepoel through the intermediate spriꦓnt and now the duo are about to start the next climb of theဣ day.

Th🍬e first-category Alto del Cordia🐈l is 5.4km at 9.2%.

Cattaneo pulls off the front and Evenepoel gives him a pat on the arm✅ to thank him as he rideꦺs past.

A 26.5km solo effort from Evenepoel now needed.

2:50 back to the peloton as Dylan Van Baarle le💟ads ℱthe group.

Robert Gesink's work for his team is done as he puꩲlls off the front.

Jumbo-Visma have plenty of firepower behind 🌠bu𓆉t Evenepoel had a day of relative rest yesterday – he crossed the line at over 14 minutes down.

25km to go

Soler♕ is solo in the chase behind Evenepoel but he's two minutes down. Kinda seems like this attack has been a huge waste of time so far.

Cattaneo drops back to Soler.

Plenty of tough gradients on this climb with multiple sect𝔉ions atꦑ 13-14%

V🌃an Baarle drops from the peloton as Bahrain Victorious c♌ome to the front.

2km to the top for Evenepoel. He's two minutes up on Soler with the ꧒peloton ဣnow at 2:40.

Evenepo💎el making his way up some of the tougher🌞 gradients now.

The pelot💟on already small with the 𝓰Angliru still to come.

Bahrain closing the gap a little. 2:25 now.

Friend of felines Anto🀅nio Tiberi is setting the pace for Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa's tea🍬m. 

Evenepoel into the final 500 metres of the climb.

Attila Valter is off the back of the peloton now.

21km to go

Evenepoel over the top for another 10 mountain points. He's on 91 to🧸 Vingegaard's 41 now.

Sol𓂃er still hanging out there in front of the peloton.

Evenepoel tackles the descent.

7km to the start of the Angliru for Evenepoel.

Tratnik, Van Baarle, Valter, Gesink all gone already for Jumbo-Visma. They have Kelderman left with Kuss, Vingegaard and Roglič.

A determined Remco Evenepoel shortly before he pushed on alone up𝕴 the Alto del Cordal.

15km to go

Soler is caught by the peloton now after 38km on 𒉰the attack.

He picked upꩵ 10 mountain points along the way so it wasn't all for nothing!

Evenepoel🧔 now closing in on th🌠e bottom of the Angliru...

12.4km at 9.8% with multiple kilometres in double-digit gradients and sections 🦂over 20%...

12.4km to go

Evenepoel𝔍 begins the climb at 1:20 up on the Bahrain Victorious-led peloton.

A relatively gentle few kilometres at 8-9% to sta🍌rt...

The fourth kilometre is 6.4% and the fifth is 2% before th🥀e real hard gradients ki♛ck in.

11km to go

1:20 still for Evenepoel.

Lennert Van Eetv🌸elt (Lotto-Dstny)&nbsꦑp;attacks from the peloton.

Bahraღin still with five on 🍌the front of the peloton.

10km to go

Marc Soler is dropped. Tactics!

The final 7km or so bring the hardest gradients of the climb. Still a little way to go🍸 before Evenepoel gets there.

He has 1:15 at the moment, 9.5km out.

The peloton down to around 20 men.

9km to go

Evenepoel holding his advantage.

Tiberi still leading the peloton.

He and his Bahrain teammates are shaving off a second here and there but not making much time on Evenepo🀅el.

8km to go

𝓰Riders continue to lose contact at the꧒ rear of the peloton.

1:10 now.

🍌Van Eetvelt still in between Evenepoel a♎nd the peloton.

7km to go

Here we go. Evenepoel hits the steep stuff!

Kelderman is done for Jumb💟o-Visma now and they just𒉰 have the 'big three' left.

Van Eetvelt caught.

More riders dropping but none of the big GC n🍌ames.

6.5km to go

51 seconds to Evenepoel.

Evenepoel l🌊ooking calm but still losing seconds here.

Tiberi done and now Bahrain have four left.

Buitrago, Caruso, Poelꦫs, and Landa remain on the front.

6km to go

Almeida drops and Vlasov is also struggling out the back🙈!

Bahrain remain in control.

Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich) attacks.

Poels and Kuss follow.

5.5km to go

They catch Evenepoel! That was sudden.

Now it's ꦍa small group at the front after that upping of the pace.

Poels, Buitrago, Landa at the front ahead of Kuss, Vingegaard, Roglič. Mas is also in there just behind.

Ayuso is dropping!

Evenepoel is out the back.

Just seven in front here.

4.5km to go

Now Mas is losing contact.

Poels still making the pace at the head of this six-man group. Three from Bahrain and threౠe from Jumbo.

Buitrago hanging on in the lead group now.

The sign at this, the steepest section of the climb – La Cueña le𝔉s Cabres.

4km to go

Buitrago now drops.

There's barely any visibility up here &♌ndash; very heavy fog.

Poels, Landa, Kuss, Roglič, Vingegaard still there.

This is painful stuff on gradients stretching well over🍸 2♏0%.

They're on the steepest kilometre of the cl♌imb, whi🔯ch averages 18%.

3.5km to go

Ayuso reportedly 30 seconds down.

Mas at 20 seconds.

Poels continues on the front for Landa.

No movements from Jumbo-Visma in the lead group.

There's been no need for them to make anཧy moves with all of their major rivals having already dropped. Landa is seventh overall at 4:12.

3km to go

Roglič pushes the pace.

He has a small gap!

Landa, Kuss, Vingegaard chase.

Poels gone.

Mas at 32 seconds. Ayuso at 46 seconds.

2.5km to go

Roglič now a few seconds up.

Uijtdebroeks pushes on ahead of Mas and Buitrago.

Kuss has jumped up to Roglič!

Almeida seems to be in the Mas group.

Vingegaard now with his two teammates.

2km to go

This is going to be a Jumbo-Visma 1-2-3.

Kuss is dropping now!

Vingegaard and Roglič are riding away.

Al💙meida is getting across to Uijtdebroeks but they're some way back. Who knows exactly where...

Roglič and Vingegaard riding off into the distance now.

Landa now coming back to Kuss.

1.5km to go

Kuss at 20 seconds.

Uijtdebroeks and Almeida at a minute down.

Ayuso at 1:35.

1km to go

It looked as though Jumbo-Visma might be riding towards a side-by-side 1-2-3 at the finish but Roglič and Vingegaard just rode off and left Kuss behind.

L♌and🎐a riding in front of Kuss and they're closing the gap!

900 metres to g𓄧o and the gap is coming down to 15 seconds.

Mas at 1:35. Ayuso at 1:50.

Vinge💃gaard within 12 seconds🔥 on the virtual GC now.

500m to go

The two leaders racing towards the line now.

Roglič leads it on the downhill.

On⭕ly a very small celebration as the pair cross the 𝐆line together.

Kuss racing home with Landa now.

It looked like he finished 18 secon꧃ds down in third place.

So around 20 seconds lost to V♑ingegaard there taking the time bonus into account.

The rest of the GC men come home over a 🍸minute down.

They cross the line in ones and twos.

Kuss will hang on🎉 to retain the red jersey by 8 seco🔯nds from Vingegaard.

Roglič's celebration as he crossed the line to win stage 17.

Here's what Race leader Sep♛p Kuss had to say after the stage af𝄹ter getting dropped by his own teammates...

"It was a position I never expected to be in and that's the beautiful thing abou♛t it. I came in with no expectations and was just looking to help out the guys like always. Then I came into this beautiful jersey and all the experiences that come with it. I discovered a new level of self-confidence and racing instinct. That was really, really beautiful.

"I'm also with two incredible guys [and] I think behind the scenes we work really well together. They're two big champions and I also want my shot but I also am happy to work for them when it's c🙈alled for. Yeah, it's been a beautiful experience."

Kuss and Land▨a came in 19 seconds down. Poels at 44 seconds. Almeida's steady riding s♊aw him finish at 58 seconds. Uijtdebroeks and Buitrago at 1:20. Ayuso and Mas came home at 1:42 and 1:43.

Here's what Jumbo-Visma DS Grischa Nier🍸mann said🦩 about the stage...

"It was a very, very hard stage, very intense. We had some good attacks of Evenepoel and Soler. I think the team solved it perfectly once again. In the end, it showed that apparently we have the three strongest riders in th🐷e race.

"We couldn't hear Sepp [at 2km] and we didn't see anything because the television is really bad. We agreed at the beginning of the week that all three are still going for it. I think everyone would like to have Sepp in the lead – he's still in the lead but they also want to win the stage and we agreed that everybody is allowed to go for it. That's what happened and a very, very good job and nice victory for Primož."

Stage winner Roglič's comments after the stage...

"On the last climb at🌞 the point I went it was just so hard and steep that it was my own tempo. On the climb, we tell who is first a♏nd second.

"I let [Bahrain] go until I fel🌺t the pace is a bit dropping I said 'OK, I go for it and ride my own pace'.

"Like I said, I just did my own tempo. I just spoke with him and it's a weird feeling. On such a steep ꦆclimb, everyone goes as fast as possible and then we see, eh?

"I said to him [Kus𒅌s] – keep fighting, keep believing and he will make it."

Second on the day and second on GC – Vingegaard's comments after the stage꧋🌠...

"The win today was our main goal t🌃o keep the situation 1-2-3 in GC. I think everything went how we wanted. I think we can be happy with everything. To be honest, I'm still happy that Sepp is in the jersey.

"[Interviewer asked a question about whether the riders know the time gaps on the road] To be honest I actually hope that he will keep the jersey. I would love to s♑ee Sepp winning this Vuelta a España."

Kuss still ✱in red tonight – likely for the last time with two ascents of the Puerto de la Crꦫuz de Linares coming up tomorrow and considering what has gone down on stages 16 and 17.

Evenepoel didn't get the♐ st🌞age win today but he's still in polka dots and with an extended lead. He has 91 points to Vingegaard's 51 and looks good to win the classification.

Vuelta a España: Roglic tames L'Angliru for 1-2 finish with Vingegaard on stage 17

Sepp Kuss retains leader's jersey by eight seconds with third-pla🍸ced finish on queen stage

The current GC standings at the 2023 Vuelta a España

Jumbo-Visma stage another p❀odium sweep but Kuss lose🧜s ground on stage to Angliru

That's all from the live coverage of today's stage. Back tomorrow for more mountains 🎃on stage 18.