TOMARES, Spain — Italian rider Matteo Trentin won his third stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday after sprinting to claim the 13th stage, while Tour de France champion Chris Froome maintained his overall lead.
Trentin’s hat trick of stage wins gave his Quick-Step Floors team its fifth stage win.
Trentin was helped into position near the front by his teammates before he powered past two opponents over the final meters. He won by more than a bike length to complete the 198.4-kilometre (123.2-mile) ride from Coin to Tomares in 4 hours, 25 minutes, 13 seconds.
"The guys were incredible. Everyone did their job and when the team works like that you have to finish it off," Trentin said. "It’s amazing. The race is not over for the team. We are betting for more."
Froome crossed the line seconds later with his other title rivals.
Former Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali of Italy remained 59 seconds behind Froome in second place, followed by Colombian Esteban Chaves, 2:13 behind.
The peloton caught breakaway rider Alessandro de Marchi near the end of the stage as the course went through the southern city of Sevilla.
After his pair of falls on Thursday that allowed Nibali and other challengers to reduce his lead, Froome stayed out of trouble on the mainly flat ride which came before two important mountain stages.
Saturday’s trek is a 175-kilometre (108.7-mile) route starting in Ecija that finishes at a special-category summit in Sierra de la Pandera. That is followed on Sunday by a stage that takes riders over two category-one climbs before another special-category finish at Alta Hoya de la Mora.
Trentin also won the fourth and 10th stages. Quick-Step Floors teammates Julian Alaphilippe and Yves Lampaert have also won stages in the three-week race this year.
The Vuelta ends in Madrid on Sept. 10.
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