Today isn’t the first breakaway for Sütterlin, he was up the road on stages 14 and 10. the 33-year-old is super strong, has a huge engine and is very experienced.
It’s warming up too, it’s 34º and approaching the maximum forecast temperature.
We have a split in the bunch. They’ve come over a small climb but the gradients aren’t too steep and the descent is far from technical.
Of the other breakaway riders, Madouas is the most successful in terms of victories. The Frenchman has seven to his name, though the 2023 Bretagne Classic is his most recent.
He’s a one team man too, he joined Groupama in 2018.
The breakaway’s advantage really has settled now, Vermaerke, Madouas, Dalby, Sütterling and Thalmann lead by 2:40.
We have a pretty strong group up in that breakaway. Tody, with plenty of experience.
American, Kevin Vermaerke has been incredibly active this Vuelta, though perhaps because his team are down just four riders.
“To be honest, that was not the plan at all” he said of his solo move on stage 14.
It was a hugely impressive performance from Wout van Aert to take the win on Sunday.
But he said; “I’m not coming back, I can’t maintain this statistic.”
Sunday’s stage 15 presented a very different route to today’s, but the breakaway was never allowed any real advantage, Visma-Lease a BIke holding close. Will they do that again?
The gap is still only 1:40.
The front of the race is over an early unclassified peak and onto the rolling terrain which characterises the course until just after the half-way mark.
Whoever’s doing the chasing, the breakaway’s lead is increasing. It’s now 1:10 seconds. Is it all done so quickly?
The gap is creeping up, but they are being chased, with Visma-Lease a Bike and – strangely – UNO-X at the front. It could be that the Scandinavian team are interfering with the chase.
Now we have another group with a tiny advantage, this time it’s five riders.
And that group of eight?
They’re caught.
Bryan Coquard is one of only two sprinters not in the Vimsa-Lease a Bike team to have won one of the bunch sprints in this Vuelta, so naturally the Cofidis rider was in demand this morning.
And there they go! Eight riders are trying to get away.
Almost all the climbing comes in the opening half of the stage and after the downhill start the rolling terrain starts.
With 5km done, that’s where we are now, so expect the attacks to begin.
And we’re rolling! We have 4.6km of neutral before we get going. The day after the rest day will there be a huge fight for the break, or will teams accept that a bunch finish is inevitable?
It’s not just the heat Brennan with have to worry about today, it’s windy down near the finish, with a cross tailwind from 23km to go, then cross head from 12km.
This could be an exciting, nervy finish.
Visma-Lease a bike have dominated the sprints at this year’s Vuelta and Matthew Brennan is surely a favourite for today’s stage.
The British sprinter is one who’s been critical of racing in such hot weather.
After days of ridiculously high temperatures, the peloton have the tiniest bit of respite today, with maximum temperatures forecast only at 34º.
We’re still in Andalucia for today’s stage, right down in the far south-west, very close to the Portuguese border.
There are no classified climbs today, though there are not far off 2,000m of vertical ascent as the race heads south down to the coast.
It looks like one for the sprinters today, with the vast majority of the 181.1km between Cortegana and La Rábida. Palos de la Frontera all downhill.
The race rolls out at 1:05pm local time.
Good morning and welcome to stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, we’ll be bringing you live coverage throughout the day.