Overview
- Belgian Tom Crabbe (TFB) won the 166 km Montoro–Pozoblanco stage in a mass sprint on Calle Alcaracejos, finishing ahead of Søren Wærenskjold (UXM) and Sandy Dujardin (TEN).
- An early move at kilometre 6 by Geoffrey Bouchard, Nil Gimeno and Luca Cretti gained up to about 1:40, with Cretti briefly the virtual race leader before the peloton tightened control.
- Bouchard and Cretti were reeled in roughly 25 km from the Kilómetro de Oro, where Jon Barrenetxea, Bystrøm and Romain Grégoire split the bonus sprints.
- A late three-man attack by Christophe Laporte, Tim Wellens and Marcin Budzinski with 6 km remaining was neutralized inside the final 3 km, paving the way for the bunch finish.
- The race concludes with about 167 km from La Roda de Andalucía to Lucena, featuring two central ascents and time bonuses that are expected to shape the final general classification.