The first summit finish of this year’s Vuelta a Espana proved as enthralling as had been hoped, as the GC favourites went wheel-to-wheel for the first time at this year’s race.

The brutal slopes of the Alto de Cumbres Verdes made for a thrilling battle between the likes of Alejandro Valverde, Chris Froome and Alberto Contador – who finished first, second and third respectively.

It means the red jersey for Valverde, with Michael Matthews signing off after enjoying three stages as race leader – the second Grand Tour leader’s jersey he has worn this year.

For others, the stage proved to be a brutal affair in the mountains, with David Millar – never one to waste words – simply declaring ‘that was hard’ as he took to Twitter post-stage.

Millar was not the only one to share his thoughts via social media either. We have rounded up the best rider reaction below.