CERCEDILLA, Spain — Fabio Aru of Italy got the help he needed from his Astana teammates to finally break Tom Dumoulin and take the lead of the Spanish Vuelta on its penultimate stage on Saturday.
Barring an injury or incident during the traditional arrival to Madrid on the 21st and final stage, Aru is set to win the three-week Grand Tour after turning a six-second deficit to Dumoulin into a commanding advantage.
Spaniard Ruben Plaza broke away early and rode solo to win the 175.8-kilometre (109.2-mile) mountainous ride from San Lorenzo de El Escorial to Cercedilla that includes four category-one climbs.
An attack by Aru supported by his teammates on the third of those ascents dropped Dumoulin, who had held his own in previous mountain stages but was now left to struggle all alone without any of his Giant-Alpecin teammates.